Now that Pedro Caixinha has his feet under the Ibrox table, he will soon be able to put his own slant on the incomings at Rangers.
Reinforcements are most certainly needed in the close season but a little bit of creative thinking will be required when it comes to identifying and landing their top summer targets.
The position that Scottish teams find themselves in when it comes to the transfer market is a weak one and this means that their business must be clever. They can no longer afford to go for the obvious top players in the UK and Europe as the money simply isn’t there. Even when money is available, the prestige they once held in European competition is gone and so the big Glasgow clubs simply aren’t an attractive enough proposition for players these days.
Hence, Rangers must think outside the box. One such example would be to sign Sofiane Bendebka. The 24-year-old Algerian, currently plying his trade at Hussein Dey, was recently capped by his country – albeit against Seychelles and looks like a player on the up.
Little is known of him around Europe and that could be of great benefit to the Gers. Not lacking the strength for the British game, Bendebka is one player who would slot straight in and would not need too much time to adjust to his surroundings. This would be crucial when attempting to reinvent a team. He’s versatile and can play centrally in a defensive or attacking role in the midfield, as well as filling in at right-back if needed.
Bendebka has 4 goals and 2 assists from 19 games he’s played in various positions in Ligue 1 this season. The key point is that he is improving as a footballer. More will be expected of him as the year goes on and he will be better with another summer gone.
Now captaining his club side, Bendebka is learning how to take responsibility in games and this only adds to his true value. This could prove crucial for Rangers as, they have a lack of solid, dependable and responsible midfield players who can hold a team together, with the Jason Holt being the only exception.
Long gone are the days of Barry Ferguson and Pedro Mendes, who was inspirational in bringing countryman Caixinha to Rangers in the first place and whose agency also looks after Bendebka! There is an obvious connection there and bringing the player in ahead of other possible suitors might not seem to be a problem. Rangers should act quickly this summer and ensure they sign this talent.