The arrival of James Sands has been universally applauded, the MLS champions’ young player of the year and an established international for his country, a player comfortable in and out of possession and with the versatility to play in a few positions – what’s not to like.
There is though one person that might not be too happy about the deal – Stephen Kelly.
One of, if not the only standout in pre-season, his lack of game time has been a surprise given that there isn’t much else he could have done on loan spells as Ayr United and Ross County to prove that he can cope with the rigours of senior football with Giovanni van Bronckhorst reducing the numbers in the middle of the park, his chances of regular game time has diminished even further.
Sands described himself as a defensive midfielder in his interview with Rangers TV, sounding very much in the mould of Steven Davis and you would expect him to jump pretty high up the queue to get a starting jersey when football kicks off again.
This leaves Kelly in limbo though and the Scotland Under-21 international is at a real crossroads in his career but he does still have a Rangers contract until 2023, the rest of this season could play a huge part in where he plays his football in the future.
At the start of the season I thought Ibrox and Auchenhowie was the best place for him to learn alongside players like Davis and Glen Kamara and, even if it is just in training, he would still get an idea of what level he needs to get to if he wants to be a Rangers player beyond the next 12-months but he’s now got a decision to make and a fight for his future under GvB on his hands.