Rangers’ veteran defender Bruno Alves is reportedly considered by Portuguese club Vitoria Guimaraes.
The 36-year-old has been on the fringes of the Rangers squad after signing a two-year deal under Pedro Caixinha. Alves managed only 25 appearances in all competitions this past season for the Gers.
Rangers have brought in new manager Steven Gerrard in order to take the club back to its glory days and the former Liverpool skipper has wasted no time in improving the squad. The Scottish giants have already signed Scott Arfield, Allan McGregor and Jamie Murphy, hence remaining in the hunt for more to bridge the gap on arch-rivals Celtic.
While Rangers finished 3rd in the 2017/18 edition of the Scottish Premiership, they leaked in a lot of goals. The entire defence struggled, with Alves failing to make an impact.
Defensive reinforcements are a must for Rangers if they are to compete with Celtic for the title next season but it is high time the Gers move on from Alves, who is past his prime.
As reshaping the defence remains a priority for Gerrard, here are three are three replacements for Alves who Rangers should consider.
Kyle Bartley (Swansea City)
Kyle Bartley spent most of the 2017/18 campaign out on the sidelines with injury problems and as a result, he hardly played for Swansea City. As per reports, Rangers are considering a move for the 27-year-old.
Bartley spent the 2010/11 and 2011/12 campaigns at Ibrox, on loan from Arsenal. Hence, the 27-year-old will be aware of life in the Scottish Premier League and that could tempt him to make a move back.
The Swansea defender could be a major upgrade on the current defensive options at Rangers and would bring a lot of solidity to the backline. He is just the kind of signing Rangers need at the moment.
Sol Bamba (Cardiff City)
Cardiff City finished second in the Championship table this season and secured the runners-up spot, subsequently winning automatic promotion to the Premier League.
Bamba played a key role in the Bluebirds’ promotion, scoring four goals and providing one assist in 46 Championship appearances. He was a rock at the back, forming a solid partnership with Sean Morrison.
From being a reckless, error-prone defender to becoming a solid and reliable leader at the back, the 33-year-old was one of the best in the Championship, which makes it a case for Rangers to go for him this summer.
Craig Dawson (West Brom)
Defensive reinforcements have become a priority for the Gers and if they have to go beyond breaking the bank, then so be it.
West Brom will play in the Championship next season and have a host of stars that can easily play in top leagues. Craig Dawson is one of them as the 28-year-old has the ability to fix Rangers’ defence. Strong and physical, Dawson is also a good passer of the ball and his versatility means he can also slot in at right-back if required.
Given the number of years he has spent playing in the Premier League, Dawson’s knowledge and experience could benefit Rangers massively.
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