Rangers fans are barely looking beyond the next game at the moment, a feeling of inevitability currently forming a dark cloud above Ibrox as we look to get through the remaining Champions League fixtures without any more unwelcome records being broken and without dropping any more points in the Scottish Premiership before the World Cup break.
There is a lot of work that needs to be done behind the scenes though with the Rangers squad in a state of transition. Players out of contract at the end of the season and veterans who really shouldn’t be getting considered for new deals forming the bulk of our potential outgoings.
Replacements will need to be identified and one such name has already emerged with Blackpool’s Jerry Yates seemingly being watched by Ross Wilson, the current joint-top goalscorer in the Championship, according to a report in The Sun:
“Rangers are monitoring Blackpool hotshot Jerry Yates.
“The striker, 25, scored twice – to take him to eight this season – in the 4-2 Championship win over Preston on Saturday.
“And SunSport understands Rangers were among ten clubs with scouts running the rule over £5million-rated Yates.
“Brentford, Bournemouth, West Brom and Watford were also in attendance at Bloomfield Road to watch the forward, who has two years left on his contract.”
Interestingly, Yates has been playing off the left-hand side of the attack recently which is an area where we don’t really need additions when you consider how lop-sided our winger corps is, he has though, played most of his football as a centre-forward.
Yates would be a good signing, however, there are far more pressing areas of concern that still need to be sorted out first. The midfield in particular is crying out for more creativity and goals if our wingers are only getting trusted to throw crosses into the box and not to get on the end of them.
The Championship is a notoriously expensive market nowadays too so I’d be surprised if we are considering spending the money mentioned in an area that we are already quite strong, having said that, we spent a similar sum on Ridvan Yilmaz and he still isn’t playing.