Rangers beating Celtic to sign this versatile 24-year-old Championship star would be a statement of intent

Why Rangers should beat Celtic to sign Nick Powell in January

According to a report from the Scottish Sun, Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has made the signing of a creative playmaker a priority in the January transfer window.

Rangers have a talented pool of attacking players, with the likes of Scott Arfield, Ovie Ejaria, Daniel Candeias, Ryan Kent and Eros Grezda capable of splitting open defences with one pass. But the Gers lacked a clinical edge to their play in the final third last weekend despite thrashing Motherwell 7-1 at the Ibrox.

Perhaps, that could be the reason why Gerrard wants to sign a specialist No.10 in January. The Rangers manager would do a brilliant job by luring Wigan Athletic star Nick Powell to the Ibrox.

Nick Powell, 24, has managed to reignite his career at Wigan after his failed stint at Manchester United. The talented attacker inspired Wigan’s promotion push last season, scoring 15 times in League One, and he has started well in the Championship this term with four goals and four assists in 16 appearances.

But the 24-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season and has already been linked with a move to Celtic. As Nick Powell is out of contract in the summer of 2019, he would be available for a cut-price deal in January.

Rangers should make an audacious January swoop for Nick Powell as Gerrard simply cannot afford to see Celtic sign the Wigan playmaker. Powell perfectly fits the profile of Gerrard’s No.10 and the Rangers boss should prioritise signing the ex-Manchester United midfielder.

A versatile customer, Powell can play through the middle, on either flank and as a secondary striker. A technically-gifted and a nimble-footed creative midfielder, the 24-year-old likes to use his impressive range of passing, remarkable vision and awareness to set up goals for his teammates.

He can hit pinpoint crosses into the box, while his ability to produce moments of magic is a major plus point as well.

Powell is an intelligent player who knows to exploit even tiniest of space behind the defenders and knows to bring his teammates into the game with his link-up play. Furthermore, he can also lead the line on his own, something which should entice Gerrard.

Read more: Do it Gerrard – Rangers must hand their summer signing a regular place once the international break ends

With interest from Celtic, it is probably going to be difficult for Rangers to win the race for the signature of Powell in January. Powell would represent a massive coup for Rangers, but the Gers boss needs to do well to convince the playmaker to reject interest from elsewhere to make the switch to Ibrox.