2 Bargain Signings Rangers Should Complete Before Deadline Day
With a view to seeing off Aberdeen for 2nd place and closing the gap on long-term rivals Celtic, Rangers and Graeme Murty have already been busy in the transfer market this winter. Andy Halliday and Michael O’Halloran have been unexpectedly called back from their loans while temporary contracts have been handed out to Sean Goss, Russell Martin, Jamie Murphy and Jason Cummings.
The squad will already have a very different flavour by the time Rangers play Aberdeen on Wednesday but further changes are a must if the squad are to achieve their longer-term goals. Under Murty, the Gers have a real chance of improving sufficiently to make the Scottish Premiership what it once was; a battle between at least two entities rather than just one.
Naturally, any incomings will need to be cheap and so here we look at two bargain buys the Light Blues may be able to complete in the next week or so:
Scott Arfield (Burnley)
Arfield’s potential availability is not news to Rangers who have shown their interest in the Burnley midfielder already. Livingston-born Arfield has stalled on signing a new deal and perhaps now wishes to play closer to ‘home’, making Rangers a very attractive proposition for him indeed.
Assuming that the Glasgow giants can afford whatever salary Arfield commands these days, he would fit into this squad no problem and would add a touch of Premier League quality to the group. Given that he is out of contract at the end of the season he wouldn’t cost the world, though a fee of few million pounds would still be needed to pry him away from Turf Moor at this point.
Kevin McDonald (Fulham)
The former Scotland under-21 international has not yet won a senior cap for his country despite his undisputed quality. He was even called up on numerous occasions without kicking a ball thus far.
Despite the English Championship being considered a high level in world football, Scotland managers have often thought differently and just like Ryan Jack, McDonald may well see playing for Rangers as a better way to get himself into the Scotland squad on a permanent basis.
Rangers can challenge domestically to some degree and have their own future in Europe to think about and players of the quality of McDonald can definitely help to get them there with a fee potentially as low as £1.5million being enough to get him back north of the border.