Rangers are seeking reinforcements for Philippe Clement’s team this January.
On Sunday, the Gers cruised through to the fifth round of the Scottish Cup by steamrollering Highland League outfit Fraserburgh 5-0 at Ibrox; Cyriel Dessers the scorer of a hat-trick.
Up next, a slightly trickier challenge, Clement’s men will take on Manchester United at Old Trafford in the Europa League, currently eighth in the gigantic league table, probably requiring four points from their remaining two fixtures to remain there, with Royale Union Saint-Gilloise still to visit Govan a week later.
With the Premiership title race over, the Light Blues are a humongous 13 points adrift of league-leaders Celtic, despite dismantling their fierce rivals 3-0 earlier this month, an elongated European escapade is the priority, so could the addition of a new midfielder help their chances?
Rangers could sign their new Glen Kamara
According to Pete O’Rourke of Football Insider, CSKA Moscow have “opened the door” for Rangers in their attempts to sign midfielder Saša Zdjelar.
The 29-year-old’s contract expires this summer, and O’Rourke, speaking on Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, claims the 13-times Russian champions would “rather cash in on him now… than allow him to run down his contract”.
Who is Saša Zdjelar
Zdjelar has won nine caps for Serbia, featuring in each of the four most recent UEFA Nations League matches in October and November, starting a competitive senior international for the very first time against Spain in Córdoba.
At club level, he has played for Olympiacos, RCD Mallorca and Partizan Belgrade, winning a Greek Super League title and the Serbian Cup, before joining CSKA Moscow for a reported €500,000 in July 2022, helping the Red-Blues win the Russian Cup during his first season, starting the final which saw them prevail after a penalty shootout against Krasnodar at the Luzhniki.
His only goal for CSKA came during a 6-2 hammering of Pari Nizhny Novgorod last May, but scoring goals isn’t really his game, with this just the eighth of his senior career, more well-known for collecting cards, shown 78 yellows and three reds to date, giving you some idea of what type of midfielder he is.
Scottish Football writer Kai Watson describes him as a “vastly experienced” player who can play either at the base of midfield or “cover at centre-back”, suggesting he could be an astute addition for cash-strapped Rangers.
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How Saša Zdjelar could help Rangers
In recent times, club captain James Tavernier, Leon Balogun, John Souttar, Dujon Sterling and forgotten man Neraysho Kasanwirjo have all spent time on the sidelines, with Clement stating that no one could’ve “predicted” they’d endure such a defensive injury crisis.
Rafael Fernandes, who’s arrived on loan from Lille, will help alleviate this issue but, given that Zdjelar is capable of playing centre-back, he would be a welcome addition also.
Nevertheless, he would primarily be joining to play in midfield, as the Gers search for Nicolas Raskin’s perfect partner, with Connor Barron and Mohamed Diomandé both having enjoyed a run of games, without either nailing down a position.
In truth, Rangers have never properly replaced Glen Kamara, who arrived from Dundee for just £50,000 in 2019, which Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge labelled “the best 50 grand Rangers have ever spent”, while then manager Steven Gerrard called Kamara a “bargain”.
After making almost 200 appearances for the Light Blues, winning a Scottish Premiership title and reaching the Europa League Final, the Finnish international was sold to Leeds for a reported £5.5m, now with Stade Rennais, following a £5m move last summer.
Like Kamara, Zdjelar would also arrive on the cheap, and he’d hope to have a similar impact in Glasgow, so let’s see how the duo compare.
Appearances
119
179
Minutes
9,444
13,283
Pass completion %
80.1%
87.4%
Tackles won
1.02
0.66
Interceptions
0.78
1.03
% of aerial duals won
53.3%
49.2%
Ball recoveries
0.84
1.41
Kamara at his peak during his time at Rangers is statistically slightly better than Zdjelar since the start of the 2021/22 season, albeit the Serbian does rank higher when it comes to tackles and aerial duals.
Stylistically too, the duo are similar, as are their, potential, arrivals at Ibrox, and the 29-year-old appears as though he’s exactly the tough-tackling, disciplined midfielder that would really help Rangers right now.
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