Rangers opinion: Gers should not hesitate to cash in on Daniel Candeias

According to Football Scotland, Rangers winger Daniel Candeias has attracted interest from Turkish club Genclerbirligi in the ongoing summer transfer window, with reports claiming that manager Steven Gerrard has granted him the permission to talk to the potential suitors. 

Gerrard wants Candeias to stay at the club but he is not prepared to commit himself to any assurances over a regular starting role in the first-team next season.

The Gers boss has made it very clear that he wants every player in the squad to fight tooth and nail for a spot in the eleven week-in-week-out over the entire course of the campaign. (h/t Football Scotland)

Candeias was one of the key players at Ibrox last season but the 31-year-old former Portuguese youth international is worried that his game time might decrease to a certain extent following the arrival of some younger players this summer, Football Scotland understands. 

The winger racked up a total of 6 goals and 12 assists in 52 appearances for the Gers in all competitions in the previous campaign but Rangers might as well have to prepare themselves for life without him.

Candeias is yet to agree to any terms with the Turkish club and there has been no official bid put on the table for the 31-year-old, with reports claiming that the former Porto and Benfica man is just exploring the interest from the Super Lig outfit.

Interestingly, Rangers might have a tough call to make if Genclerbirligi decide to firm up their interest in the 31-year-old creative ace over the next few weeks. Now, if Rangers do decide to move him on this summer itself, the decision is likely to evoke mixed reactions amongst the fans at Ibrox. 

While some might consider him ultimately dispensable due to his age and the fact that he has just one year left on his current contract, others might want him to stay at the club, given his technical abilities, experience and temperament.

In fact, there are two ways of looking at it- Rangers can either opt to keep him for another season and let him depart on a free transfer next summer, or they might choose to cash in on him and reinvest the funds to strengthen other areas of the squad.

Well, there are pros and cons to both the options but selling him at this stage of his career won’t be the worst possible idea for the Gers. 

Candeias, who arrived at Rangers from Benfica in the summer of 2017, was an instant hit in a struggling team under Pedro Caixinha and later Graeme Murty, as the Portuguese winger established himself as a firm fan favourite with 8 goals and 13 assists in 45 appearances in his debut campaign. 

However, his returns took a bit of a battering last season under Gerrard, with the 31-year-old managing 6 goals and 12 assists, whilst playing more number of games, 52 to be precise. 

That might have something to do with his advancing years and it is pretty clear that Candeias is at a stage in his career where his powers are going to start waning very soon.

Moreover, with the arrival of fresh faces like Jake Hastie, Jordan Jones, Sheyi Ojo and the return of Jamie Murphy from injury, the 31-year-old’s game time might reduce quite a bit, although he is still likely to be one of the first names on the teamsheet for the European games. 

Suffice to say, Rangers have taken significant strides towards bolstering their wide options this summer and Candeias, though still a key figure at Ibrox, is not indispensable by any means.

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Conclusion

The Gers would eventually end up losing him for nothing next summer, so it cashing in on him while he is still a saleable asset sounds quite rational. Still, Rangers might try and keep him at the club this summer but they need not push too hard to do so.