With the news that Rangers have secured a pre-contract deal for Bournmouth’s Jack Simpson there could well be some nervous members of Steven Gerrard’s squad.
The 24-year old England Under-21 cap has experience of both the Championship and Premier League which would suggest that he is being considered to provide competition to the senior centre-halves.
For much of this season we have coped with just three central defenders, however, this has included Niko Katic being out injured since pre-season and George Edmundson’s coronavirus misdemeanour, the recruitment team has obviously identified that we need reinforcements.
Although everything is rosy just now, there is no guarantee that the three that have seen us concede just seven times in the league this season will be around for the forthcoming seasons, Leon Balogun has been one of the best free transfers we have ever made but is 32-years old, Gerrard does want him to commit for at least another year though- with the player, ultimately, getting to decide his fate.
Then there is Connor Goldson, he has just 18-months left on his current deal and although there has been talk all season around an extension, there has not yet been any concrete news, if one still hasn’t been signed in the summer then we could well cash in when he is approaching his peak and his stock is at it’s highest.
Is Edmundson done at Rangers?
Yes
No - not worth the risk
The signing of Simpson does seem to spell the end for Edmundson, there have previously been reports of interest from down south in the former Oldham defender, as for Katic, he won’t get to play the required amount of games when he returns to full fitness and should be given the chance to go out on loan for a season ready to replace Balogun in the longer term – there would be plenty of clubs in Scotland that would take the Croatian international if he does become available.
It’s encouraging that we aren’t resting on our laurels and are identifying talent that will improve the squad without breaking the bank, that we could end up in profit if Edmundson is sold would be another sign that our recruitment policy is finally paying dividends.