Why Rangers should go all out to sign Feyenoord’s Renato Tapia

According to Voetball International (h/t The Daily Record), Rangers and Celtic are locked in a battle to sign Feyenoord midfielder Renato Tapia.

Feyenoord are looking to offload Renato Tapia in January given how his contract with the club is set to expire this summer and the club are looking to recoup some of the £2million they spent on him in 2016. (h/t The Daily Record)

The Peruvian, 24, featured 23 times in total for Dick Advocaat’s side but spent the second half of last season on-loan at Willem II. He has 53 national caps and was an integral part of Peru’s run to the Copa America final last summer.

That simply shows Tapia has got solid experience under his belt and having said that, Rangers must do everything possible to beat Celtic to the midfielder’s signature.

The Gers are two points adrift of table-toppers Celtic but with a game in hand following their win over the Hoops last month. Steven Gerrard’s side are better as a team compared to 12 months ago but consistency remains key for Rangers stopping Celtic’s quest for nine domestic titles in a row.

And to give the Light Blues’ hopes of winning the Scottish Premiership title a boost, Gerrard should look to add a couple of players to his squad this month. Strengthening the midfield must not be a priority considering the options Gerrard has at his disposal, but it won’t be a bad idea either.

Joe Aribo, Ryan Jack, Glen Kamara and Steven Davis have all impressed in Rangers’ engine room this season. Even though Davis has penned a contract extension at the Ibrox until 2021, the Northern Irishman has turned 35 and is well past his prime.

The January transfer window would be the right time for Gerrard to consider signing Davis’ long-term replacement and Renato Tapia would be a smart addition.

A defensive midfielder by trade, Tapia can also operate at centre-back and right-back. So he would strengthen Gerrard’s options in two positions should he arrive at the Ibrox this month.

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Being a holding midfielder, the Peru international excels in breaking up opposition’s play and that’s evident from his average of 1.5 tackles and 1.1 interceptions per game this term. He is also a good passer of the ball, having achieved an 85.9% pass success rate in the Eredivisie this term. [Courtesy: WhoScored]

Verdict

With that in mind, Rangers need to start looking at life beyond winning the Premiership and splashing the cash on talented players in January would certainly make a lot of sense as far as Gerrard’s long-term project at the Ibrox is concerned.

To put things into perspective, Tapia has solid experience at the senior level and the Gers have every reason to look at him as someone who could work wonders for them in the years to come.