Rangers have green-light to sign goalkeeper Anthony Elanga called ‘amazing’
Rangers could add a player that Anthony Elanga rates very highly this summer.
Russell Martin has already signed nine new players in his attempt to overhaul Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership.
The likes of Max Aarons, Joe Rothwell and Oliver Antman have been added to help the Gers in their lofty ambitions.
However, that has not gone to plan so far, with two draws in their first two matches in the league, and they could enter the transfer market again.
Elanga heaps on potential Rangers signing Charles
Rangers have been linked with a move for Pierce Charles, the Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper, with Martin not convinced by Jack Butland.
A report from The Sun on Sunday (page 53, 10 August) claims that the Championship club are willing to sell the stopper, with a price tag of £8million on his head, so the Gers have the green-light to sign him.
Elanga, who starred in the Premier League for Nottingham Forest last season but has since moved to Newcastle, is a fan of the 20-year-old.
The two faced off when Sweden beat Northern Ireland 5-1 in March, and the winger lauded the potential new Light Blues man.
After the contest (26 March), he said: “I know a few of the players, Ethan Galbraith, who I played with at [Manchester] United, the Charles brothers [who were products of the Manchester City youth system].
“He [Pierce] is an amazing goalkeeper by the way, he’s got a bright future.”
Charles may be the best option to replace Butland
Butland’s time at Ibrox has not gone to plan; he is not the elite goalkeeper that the Bears need between the sticks.
The former Manchester United man has made several high-profile errors, particularly with the ball at his feet, and Martin wants his keeper to be strong in that aspect of the game.
Rangers have been linked with Arsenal goalkeeper Karl Hein, but Charles would arguably be a better option.
| Stats | Hein (La Liga) | Charles (Championship) |
| Matches | 31 | 8 |
| Goals conceded per 90 | 68 | 10 |
| Clean sheets | 5 | 0 |
| Pass accuracy | 70.2% | 76.3% |
The young star broke into the first team towards the end of last season, making eight appearances for the Owls in the second tier, conceding 10 goals.
Perhaps the most pertinent stat that he recorded was a 76.3 per cent pass accuracy, which is better than Hein (70.2 per cent) and Butland (73.3 per cent).
Given the emphasis that Martin places on playing out from the back, Charles may well be the best option if a goalkeeper is signed in Govan.
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