Rangers head coach Gio van Bronckhorst is set to make a number of difficult decisions over who stays and who goes at Ibrox this summer.
The Dutchman has a group of current first-team players who are out of contract at the end of the season and poised to leave the Glasgow giants for nothing.
Steven Davis, Connor Goldson, Allan McGregor, Leon Balogun and Scott Arfield are all on the verge of becoming free agents, so Van Bronckhorst will need to either wield his axe or attempt to keep them at the club.
One player who he ought to jettison is Northern Ireland veteran Davis. The experienced midfielder’s importance has dwindled this season and it is the perfect time to part ways with him as new players come through.
He played 35 times and started 29 games in the Premiership last term under Steven Gerrard as a regular member of the side which won the title. However, he has not enjoyed as much success this time around, featuring in only 12 of the club’s 30 league outings and starting nine. Frank McAvennie dubbed him “permanently benched” earlier this year, and those statistics back up the 61-year-old’s damning description.
Davis turned 37 in January and it seems unlikely that, at his age, he will be able to revive his fortunes and become a first-choice option for Rangers in the middle of the park again. Therefore, Van Bronckhorst must allow the dud to depart at the end of his contract this summer.
The Gers have been linked with a swoop for Coventry gem Gustavo Hamer, who must be brought in to replace the ex-Southampton midfielder.
Hamer’s team-mate Marko Marosi dubbed him “unbelievable”, and the 24-year-old’s statistics in the Championship for the Sky Blues this season back up that claim. He has been in sensational form in a central midfield role and would be the ideal replacement for Davis – who has not been playing regularly – in terms of providing competition in the middle of the park for Van Bronckhorst heading into next season.
Hamer has averaged a sublime SofaScore rating of 7.11 across 28 appearances in the second tier of English football despite Coventry sitting 11th in the table. This shows that he has been able to consistently deliver brilliant displays in midfield whilst the rest of his team-mates have been unable to lift the Sky Blues into play-off contention.
He has produced three goals and six assists whilst providing 1.4 key passes per game. His creative threat from a defensive or central midfield role could help the Gers to unlock stubborn defences, whilst he has also shown that he has bite to his game, averaging 2.6 tackles and interceptions per match.
At the age of 24, he is also 13 years younger than Davis, so he could be an upgrade on the veteran Ulsterman in terms of performances and would also hold more long-term value to the club. He could improve over time and be sold on for profit further down the line, whereas the current Gers player has little resale value, which is why Van Bronckhorst must get this deal done.
AND in other news, Van Bronckhorst can brutally axe “shaky” Rangers dud in deal for “annoyingly brilliant” £0 machine…
