Before the summer transfer window opened, Rangers were linked with too many defensive midfielders to mention; Darius Olaru, Eric Martel, Dejan Ljubicic and Ivan Lepinjica, to name but a few.
One other name that appeared in April was Abdoulaye Sissako, the French youth international who currently plays for Zulte Waregem in Belgium’s Jupiler Pro League, a market we have shopped in before, however, any thoughts of a cut-price deal for the 24-year old disappeared when he signed a new contract until 2024 – he had been approaching the end of his deal last summer.
Sissako is exactly the type of player that we have been missing at times this season, a defensive midfielder who can do the hard work when we don’t have the ball but who is also capable of controlling tempo and building attacks in possession. For too long, John Lundstram has been left to do most of the work on his own and his form is suffering as a consequence.
Ryan Jack’s latest injury means that we are without another player who can win the physical battle in midfield, Steven Davis and Glen Kamara are many things but they are far from aggressive or physical, at over 6ft tall, Sissako is also a useful addition at set-pieces too.
The original report came from Belgium so it may be that we are still monitoring Sissako, there is no doubt that our midfield requires serious attention for next season and it would make a lot of sense to target players who we have been watching for a long time if, of course, the recruitment team thinks that they could improve our squad that is.