Jack Simpson is being tipped to handle the pressure of a move to Rangers and with reports that the £1million rated Gers target “heading to Glasgow” as seven-figure rated Championship star heads north centre-half is heading to Glasgow to seal an early move ahead of the summer, we may see him sooner than first thought.
Speaking to The Scottish Sun, Simpson’s former youth coach, Tim Davis, reckons that the 24-year old will take the move in his stride and feels that he has been hard done by in his time on the south coast:
“Jack should have played more regularly for Bournemouth. There’s no doubt about it. He was a victim of the club being promoted, really. If they’d stayed in the Championship, I believe the younger, local lads would have had more chances to play.
“Instead, in the Premier League, everybody chases results. Nothing else matters. The majority of the clubs think the foreign players are better value for money.
“He’s been great in the Championship this season, but he probably won’t get back in because he’s joining Rangers. It’s not fair on the kid if he’s frozen out for four or five months — but going to Scotland is a good move for him.
“Jack needs to play regular games and I hope that is what happens at Rangers. He can play in a back three, in a two or as a holding midfielder. Jack is excellent on the ball. He’s also left-footed and so many managers crave that as he offers balance.
“The pressure won’t faze him. Old Firm derbies are big, but he wouldn’t freeze.
“I know that Steven Gerrard has wanted him for a long time. There was interest in a loan a few years ago but the deal never got over the line. Gerrard’s long-term admiration is a good sign and I think Jack can go to Rangers and show everyone how good he is.”
It’s always good to hear such a glowing reference ahead of a transfer and with George Edmundson heading to Derby County, we could be seeing a permanent change at the heart of the defence sooner than we first thought.