Former Southampton coach Eric Black believes Rangers would be on to a winner if they signed on-loan midfielder Steven Davis on a permanent basis this summer, as reported by The Scottish Sun.
A decision has yet to be made on whether to offer a deal to the Northern Ireland international, whose contract expires at Southampton at the end of the season, having technically made a loan move to Ibrox in the January transfer window.
He probably hasn’t quite made the impact in the Rangers team he was hoping for, but in recent matches has looked much more like the player that was so successful in his first spell at the club.
Black, who worked with the £2.7m-rated midfielder (Transfermarkt) at Southampton as a coach, reckons he still has plenty to offer the Gers if he does make the permanent switch.
As quoted by The Scottish Sun, the former Aberdeen man said:
Steven is one of the best professionals I have ever worked with. He has a rigid programme that he puts his body through and is also very conscious of how he lives his life and the impact that has on how he performs.
Everything is geared towards maximising his performance. He was outstanding at Southampton for about two or three years.
Latterly, the shape of the team changed a bit under Mauricio Pellegrino and Steven’s role changed with it. He dropped to the bench a bit more.
Now he is not a young player any more, but he is a fabulous individual to have in your team to circulate and dominate possession.
He is a fantastic footballer who plays off both feet. I don’t need to go through all his attributes because people have seen them over the years.
He has an enormous influence on the game in terms of keeping the ball. People might now be saying that he has not done this or that, but Steven was never really a No 10.
Clearly Davis has an experience that could be hugely beneficial to Rangers next season and signing him on a free transfer feels like something of a no-brainer.
He’ll likely be keeping his place in Steven Gerrard’s team for the foreseeable future and with more game time should come more consistent form.
As time ticks on though, Rangers shouldn’t take signing him for granted and I’m hoping to hear news on a contract given to the veteran over the next few weeks.
Should Rangers sign Steven Davis on a permanent basis this summer? Have your say in the comments below…