Mine and Ristacs are at least all real footballers still playing today, so there is a chance of them signing for us. Now if Cellino was still in charge then Álvaro Gonzalo Herrero Pecker would definitely be a possibility from the Spanish 2nd Division and no doubt all our games would be reffed by Dutch referee Dominque Prick
“Razza” is the most common name you’ll hear shouted during a Rangers match. He is also the player most likely to be changed position mid-game. Connor Goldson is not shy in pointing out to the man on the ball that Razza — Ryan Kent — is in space, while he is regularly called over to the side by the coaching staff, who will quickly debrief on how they are tweaking his role. Both details could be assumed as a negative but in the context of this Rangers team, it signifies his importance. Teams are doubling — sometimes tripling — up on Kent as they try to prevent him from running at their defence, which means Rangers are doing everything they can to adapt and make it impossible to pin him down. He was given somewhat of a free role on Saturday in the 2-0 win over Kilmarnock in what was a major shake-up by Steven Gerrard. He would roam in the middle and drop deep to inject some pace into the build-up. He would find a pocket of space and sweep the ball out wide to Borna Barisic. He would stay wide on the right and cross like a throwback winger, or he would go to the left and drive inside. The term indispensable is used to describe players far too often. Very few are. Kent is not irreplaceable either but he is looking increasingly influential and carrying himself like a player who is learning to shoulder the burden of expectation. Three goals in the opening five leagues games of the season while arguably being man of the match in every outing is a great start to the season. The measured nature of Kent’s finish to seal the win on Saturday was a sign he is improving his composure in front of goal. Often, it feels like an individual assault on the opposition goal as Kent throws every trick he has at them but for much of last season, his performances were frustrating as he had a tendency to overcomplicate things. He would show all of his capabilities across the 90 minutes but they would be in individual flashes rather than combinations: a flawless stepover to leave his man spinning followed by him overrunning the ball; a rapid drive to the byline where his cross was a tad too heavy. When he manages to string his qualities together, however, he can overwhelm teams with his athleticism and direct style of play. In full flight, it is like watching an F1 car race a Grand Prix. He still requires some fine-tuning but against Kilmarnock, he was the outstanding attacking player as he showcased his two-footedness, something he worked on with Karl Robinson as a youngster. It is displays like this which have enticed Leeds United, who had an opening bid of around £10 million for the former Liverpool winger rejected. Leeds have been preparing a second bid over the weekend but it is believed Rangers view how much they are being offered up front to be an integral part of any potential deal. They would be looking to bring in replacements quickly, so the immediate cash boost would help secure potential targets. The unusual dichotomy when considering the value of Kent is that, while he has yet to deliver the consistency of performance and end product to justify his price tag, which made him the second-most expensive signing in the club’s history, it would seem hasty to consider a bid of anything less than double what they paid, given he is just 23 and this is such a pressurised season. Kent is English, too, which adds a premium to any Premier League suitors as teams are required to fill their quota of eight homegrown players. It was a drawn-out process that saw him join Rangers last summer on deadline day for around £7 million. Jurgen Klopp had made it clear he wasn’t in his plans but that another loan spell would be no use as he had been at Coventry City, Barnsley, Freiburg and Bristol City since 2015, with the last two not proving fruitful. After a superb season on loan at Ibrox, he had developed so much under Gerrard that his value had threatened to outgrow the financial capabilities of Rangers but the player was determined to sign somewhere that felt like home. It was also a chance to work with first-team coach Michael Beale again, someone he sees as a mentor, having worked with him since he was young at Liverpool, while he also met his girlfriend in Glasgow. The mood music is that he is settled. Kent was a target for Leeds throughout last summer before he joined Rangers permanently. Marcelo Bielsa liked his attributes and his flexibility in terms of position but they sold Kemar Roofe to Anderlecht and decided they needed more of an out-and-out centre-forward. Eddie Nketiah was brought in on loan from Arsenal, where a thorough recruitment process saw Leeds’ director of football Victor Orta required to deliver a full-blown presentation about how he would be used, which perhaps shows how they had moved away from Kent as an option. Bielsa, as his obsessive attention to detail would suggest, fixates on players he likes, so it is not a surprise the interest in Kent has been rekindled. It makes sense too as, despite Bielsa favouring a tight squad, they are still spread thin ahead of what is going to be a demanding return to the Premier League. They need a centre-forward in this window but they also want a winger and a No 10. If one player was adaptable enough to play in those two positions, it is believed they’d see the value in killing two birds with one stone. Kent represents exactly that but just how high they are willing to go remains to be seen. A key point in this is that Leeds need quick progress. The season starts in three weeks and there are gaps in their squad. As with Ben White at Brighton, who Leeds have made several bids for after an impressive season on loan last season, it is expected that their interest in Kent will either pay off or blow over as they can’t really afford many delays. The future of Alfredo Morelos, Rangers’ talisman of the last three years, is already in doubt after a summer of speculation. He was left out of the squad against Kilmarnock as Kemar Roofe and Cedric Itten both made their first starts. “I’ve picked the players that looked focused,” said Gerrard afterwards. “I said last week he’d had his head turned. I’m going to pick the players that are hungry and want to be here. “If there are players that are hungry, that want to give everything for the shirt, they play. If people lose focus and take their eye off the ball — unfortunately, they won’t be with us.” It already looks like Kent has taken over the mantle of talisman but, if the Colombian’s move to Lille is revived, then losing Kent would mean losing both his main attacking threats. It would leave a whole new front line having to be moulded on the job as Roofe, Itten and even Ianis Hagi are still finding their feet in Scottish football. Any further replacements would likely come from outside of Scotland, too. Kent’s importance to Rangers is only increasing, so it would be a major blow if he was to move on. The riches of the Premier League and the excitement surrounding Bielsa’s side make it an attractive prospect for any player but he will be aware he has the chance to secure legendary status at Rangers if he can help fire them to the title.
4 strikers we are talking to Ollie Watkins seems to be dead in the water so either we are being well shrewd and this is close or its a non starter. Nicolas Gonzalez, the club have spoken to Stuttgart countless times and 2 conflicting statements from their club CEO stating the clubs are still talking and close, and his other statement said a deal couldn't be done because we want to keep Nicolas. Rodrigo started off as a would love to have but has progressed to the stage where a whopping £35m deal is close. Valencia have allowed Leeds to speak to Rodrigo’s father and agent and its said that Rodrigo wants to come to Leeds and play for Bielsa. I guess much depends on wages. Valencia are already talking to a cheap alternate striker as they need to sell Rodrigo. Arthur Cabral deal seems much closer as his agents are flying into Lisbon from Brasil early hours of this morning. A meeting is scheduled for round about now with Leeds Utd
The BBC Sport website has a great piece on the best 11 uncapped England players that should be selected for the Euros Both Ben White and Kalvin Phillips are in it
Read an article elsewhere that Gonzalez and Cabral have tested positive for Covid if true and if we are after them that will delay things as they won't be able to have medicals or sit around a table discussing terms
Cabral did and he is out of quarantine on Saturday mate and a reason his agents are flying into Lisbon from Brazil
