Why Krystof Hampl could be a future gem at Rangers

According to Football Scotland, Rangers have completed the signing of 16-year-old midfielder Krystof Hampl, with the talented teenager from the Czech Republic putting pen to paper on a two-year professional contract at Ibrox. 

Hampl impressed for the Rangers’ U-17s at the recent Spartak Cup in Russia and was snapped up the Gers after guiding the youth team to a third-place finish at the tournament. 

The 16-year-old, who has joined Rangers from Czech second-tier side FK Pardubice, had trials at Man United, Braga and Benfica but he seemed to favour a move to Scotland to further his development as a professional. 

The midfielder featured for Pardubice at various age-group levels but not a lot is known about him at this stage, given that the 16-year-old is yet to make the transition from the youth ranks to senior men’s football.  

Hampl, of course, has apparently been signed by Rangers as an exciting prospect for the future and one would hardly expect him to stake a claim for a place in Steven Gerrard’s first-team immediately.

The teenager would probably need to hone his skills with the club’s U-18 side and then progress through to the elite development ranks before challenging for bigger things.

That the 16-year-old has had trials at some reputed clubs in Europe, including Man United, is a clear indication of his talent and potential and Rangers will be hoping for him to carve out a name for himself at Ibrox in the years to come. 

To put things into perspective, the news regarding 16-year-old Krystof Hampl joining Rangers is likely to have gone under the radar but it is another example of the kind of hard work that the Gers are putting into their youth recruitment drive in a bid to bring in quality players at all levels. 

Steven Gerrard brought in plenty of new faces to bolster the senior ranks this summer, including big-money deals for marquee signings Filip Helander and Ryan Kent, but it is worth mentioning here that Rangers have also emphasized on supplementing their academy with some top-quality talent in recent times. 

Over the past twelve months or so, exciting youngsters like Nathan Young-Coombes has joined from Chelsea, Kane Rithcie-Hosler from Manchester City and Umaro Balde from Sporting Lisbon.

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And Krystof Hampl has become the latest addition to that list, as the Gers look to establish a clear pathway from the academy to the senior side. 

All in all, this looks like a move that could go on to pay rich dividends in the future.