Rangers have been linked with numerous midfielders this summer ranging from towering defensive enforcers to the most recent one with Evander, a playmaking number eight and yet, Tom Lawrence is the only real addition if you class Malik Tillman as a forward.
One name that is refusing to go away and who has been given permission to leave his club is Chelsea and Scotland’s Billy Gilmour, the former Rangers academy product seemingly out of favour under Thomas Tuchel having looked as if he had the world and a huge future at his feet under the previous manager.
Now, it is the same gaffer that wants to be reunited with him, Frank Lampard, now boss at Everton is obviously a fan, however, legendary Gers skipper Barry Ferguson – who wasn’t too shabby a midfielder himself – reckons that a return home would be just as good a move, as told to Go Radio via The Glasgow Times:
“I mean, they are a very well supported club, and it’s a fantastic crowd that go there, but they have not been spending fortunes to get the squad together.
“Barrie McKay went down south (and came back), so he’s not up here for the money. He is up here to get a game.
“He wants to play, and it’s a bit like Billy Gilmour. Would the Rangers fans love to see him come back on loan to Rangers? I’m sure they would.
“I’m quite sure it would be a comfortable place for Billy to come, progress his career and get some game time. He could do well for the national team as well, and who is to say.
“I haven’t heard anything, but it wouldn’t be a bad option if Rangers were to slot him into the midfield to get him a game.”
I think there would have been more chance of a loan deal happening if we hadn’t extended Steven Davis’s contract, it is a consideration that both the Northern Ireland skipper and Ryan Jack have deals that expire at the end of this season though – a loan-to-buy offer similar to the one that we agreed for Tillman could well be worth looking at.
The problem just now is that I’m not sure where Gilmour would fit in. He wouldn’t start ahead of John Lundstram and as well as Jack and Davis we also have Glen Kamara, all players who prefer to break up play, recycle the ball and get us on the front foot and do their best work in front of the defence.
If the right player comes along at the right price then the timing doesn’t really matter, if anything, should Gilmour come in this summer there wouldn’t be the immediate pressure to be a key player, however, at this moment in time – good player though he is – he just isn’t what we need and money could be better spent elsewhere.