Glasgow Rangers have seemingly placed an emphasis on recruiting young players with the potential to improve in order to bolster the squad at Ibrox this summer.
Six of Rangers’ seven first-team signings are under the age of 23, including Mohammed Diomande, Oscar Cortes, Hamza Igamane, Clinton Nsiala, Connor Barron, and Jefte, with Liam Kelly the only experienced addition as a back-up goalkeeper.
The Gers’ Head of recruitment Nils Koppen and Philippe Clement are now seemingly looking at more experienced options as they have been linked with an interest in 32-year-old midfielder Kenny McLean.
Football Insider reported last month that talks were underway over a potential £1m deal for the Norwich City ace before it was later claimed a move fell through as they could not agree personal terms with the Scotland international.
Koppen could now land a better signing than McLean by swooping to secure a player who was linked with an Ibrox switch earlier in the window.
Rangers interest in Premier League bruiser
Earlier this summer, HITC reported that Rangers and Celtic are both interested in signing Manchester City defensive midfielder Kalvin Phillips.
The outlet claimed that both Old Firm giants are open to the chance to snap up the former England international before the end of the summer window.
It stated that the Premier League champions have told the former Leeds United star that he is free to move on this summer, following a loan spell with West Ham United during the second half of last season.
However, it does remain to be seen whether or not the Gers have a realistic chance of landing him on loan from Pep Guardiola’s team, or if he would prefer to remain in England.
Why Kalvin Phillips would be a better signing than Kenny McLean
Firstly, an experienced midfielder could be a needed addition to the squad after John Lundstram and Ryan Jack moved on, leaving Mohammed Diomande, Nicolas Raskin, and Barron, who are all 23 or younger, as midfield options for Clement.
It could, therefore, make a lot of sense to bring in an older head with experience to guide the young players and set an example for them on and off the pitch.
28-year-old Phillips, despite being four years younger, has played more Premier League games (73) than McLean (68) and has won the English top-flight with City.
The English bruiser has only started five league games over the last two seasons since his move to City from Leeds but his form from the 2021/22 campaign suggests that the potential is there for him to be better than the Scotland international.
|
Premier League |
Kalvin Phillips (21/22) |
Kenny McLean (21/22) |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
20 |
31 |
|
Pass accuracy |
82% |
74% |
|
Tackles and interceptions per game |
3.9 |
2.5 |
|
Duels won per game |
4.9 |
5.4 |
|
Possession lost per game |
11.9 |
11.9 |
|
Stats via Sofascore |
||
As you can see in the table above, Phillips could offer more reliability in his passing at the base of the midfield whilst also stepping in to win the ball back more frequently with tackles and interceptions.
Alongside his potential quality and greater experience at the top level, a season-long loan for Phillips, who was dubbed “exceptional” by Pep Guardiola, would give Diomande, Raskin, and Barron a season to learn from him and develop before kicking on.
That could make more sense than committing to signing McLean for multiple seasons and potentially blocking pathways for younger players in the squad to come through.
Therefore, Phillips could be a better signing for Rangers for a myriad of reasons and that is why Koppen must press ahead with a swoop for his services.