Rangers could secure their next £23m talent as Clement eyes “unbelievable” 6ft titan

Rangers could secure their next £23m talent as Clement eyes “unbelievable” 6ft titan

After a 2-2 draw with FC Copenhagen at Ibrox on Tuesday night to cap off their winter break,

Glasgow Rangers will resume their domestic schedule this coming weekend.

When the Glasgow team plays Dumbarton in the Scottish Cup,

Philippe Clement will be looking to start the second half of the season strong.

This might also be an opportunity to give some periphery players a chance to start in the starting lineup.

There are just two weeks remaining in the January transfer window,

and the Light Blues have only added one player: Fabio Silva on a season-long loan.

In light of the potential for fixture congestion,

Clement will need to bolster his squad by one or two players if he hopes to contend on

the European and domestic fronts in the upcoming months.

Given the dire need for regeneration at multiple positions, is the 49-year-old planning to

make a move for another center-back this month?

Rangers’ pursuit of new players

The highly regarded Leeds United defender Charlie Cresswell was a target for

the Gers during the summer transfer window of the previous year, but no deal ever came together.

A few months later, it seems like they are still among the teams interested in the young player.

That’s according to commentator Carlton Palmer.

The former professional claimed, “Daniel Farke has repeatedly said Leeds won’t allow

Charlie Cresswell to go out on loan,” in an interview with Football League World.

“Charlie is receiving a lot of attention. To mention a few, Boro, Stoke, Ipswich, and Rangers.

In a recent interview with the media,

Daniel Farke declared that Cresswell would not be selected until he was psychologically and physically ready.

All I ask for are participants who are willing to participate, embrace their roles, and give it their all.

Might this entice Clement to try to strengthen his defence by making a bid for the player

in the last few weeks of the transfer window?

Even though the Englishman is a rough diamond, he has demonstrated a lot of promise down south.

He may be the next £23 million star to come out of the Ibrox side, following in Calvin Bassey’s footsteps.

Calvin Bassey and Charlie Creswell’s comparison

After a stint at Leicester City, Bassey went to Rangers in the summer of 2020.

Despite this, he never played for the senior team and ultimately cost

the Gers merely £230,000 in training compensation.

This meant Steven Gerrard was able to sign a promising young talent and give

them confidence they could flourish in Scotland.

Despite making only 15 appearances as the Light Blues won their first league title in a decade,

the following season saw the Nigerian international rise to prominence.

Due to an injury crisis at the heart of the defence,

Bassey moved from his natural left-back slot alongside Connor Goldson at centre-back and

the duo forged a formidable partnership as he ended up making 50 appearances in all competitions.

Indeed, Bassey shone as the club reached the Europa League final in 2022 and

his performances clearly attracted interest from the continent.

Ajax stumped up a fee of close to £23m in order to prise

the defender from the Glasgow side and his sale is the record for the club.

Despite having a less than stellar time in the Netherlands, he moved on to

Fulham and has already made an impression in the Premier League, starting 12 games so far this season.

If Cresswell decides to join Rangers, he should study Bassey’s career trajectory,

which indicates that showing your skills in Scotland can guarantee a big move in a few years.

Despite having participated in senior matches down south, the current Leeds defender,

who plays in the same position as Bassey, is not getting the opportunity to play as much as his abilities warrant.

Charlie Cresswell’s potential fit within the Rangers roster

Out of the five senior centre backs in Clement’s team right now, four are vying to be Goldson’s regular partner.

Ben Davies has not had the greatest of times under Clement,

making only six appearances since the 49-year-old came in mid-October,

and it appears that his future is away from the club. Leon Balogun’s contract expires at

the end of the current campaign, and he will probably go.

Since signing in 2022, John Souttar has struggled with injuries;

he missed 46 games the previous season, thus it is unlikely that he will be healthy for the entire campaign.

Leon King is still young and could emerge as a future star,

but he must be given more opportunities.

Cresswell, then, could force his way into the starting XI should he make

the move north of the border and his spell at Millwall last season proves that

he has what it takes to slot into the Gers side.

The defender not only ranked second among the squad for

average Sofascore rating in the Championship during 2022/23 (7.13),

but he also ranked second for accurate passes per game (28.1),

first for accurate long balls per game (four) and third for interceptions per game (1.3),

indicating that his talents were on full show at the Den.

The “unbelievable” 6 foot titan, as dubbed by Leeds presenter Joe Wainman two years ago,

even won a staggering 7.6 total duels per game – a success rate of 60% -,

and this impressive physicality could see him thrive in Scotland

If Clement wants to get the defender to Ibrox,

he will have to move quickly because other teams are interested in the 21-year-old this winter.

Charlie Cresswell’s Championship statistics	2022/23	2023/24
Games	28	4
Accurate passes per game	28.1	27
Total duels won per game	7.6	3.8
Tackles per game	1.5	0.8
Interceptions per game	1.3	0.8
Stats via Sofascore

 

To make sure a permanent transaction proceeds, he might need to shift some deadwood,

but this shouldn’t be too hard.

The prospective arrivals at Ibrox over the next several weeks might provide for some very intriguing viewing.

Should the Belgian manager be successful in bringing in a few quality players,

it might serve as the spark that propels the team to another trophy this season.

Get more related news on https://dailysportnews.co.uk