Fergusin 2.0: Rangers exploring Ibrox deal to sign "fascinating" £3m star
da bet esporte： Glasgow Rangers manager Russell Martin is still looking to add more players to his squad before the summer transfer window slams shut at the start of next month.
da realsbet： Prior to the draw with Dundee at Ibrox last weekend, the Light Blues head coach confirmed that the club are not finished in the transfer market yet.
The Gers have already brought in the likes of Oliver Antman, Djeidi Gassama, Thelo Aasgaard, Joe Rothwell, Max Aarons, Nasser Djiga, among others, to bolster their options across the pitch.
But a return of two points in two games in the Scottish Premiership so far shows that there is still more work for the Ibrox giants to do to build a team that can compete for trophies.
Rangers exploring deal for Premier League midfielder
Despite already signing Rothwell, Lyall Cameron, and Aasgaard to add to their options in the middle of the park, the Gers are reportedly keen on a Premier League talent in that area of the pitch.
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According to the Scotsman, Rangers are exploring a deal to sign Andy Irving from West Ham United because they feel that he would be a ‘worthwhile’ addition.
The report claims that Celtic, Sturm Graz, Stuttgart, and Borussia Monchengladbach are also interested in the Scotland international, which means that there is plenty of competition for his signature.
Meanwhile, Claret & Hugh backs up that claim that Rangers and Celtic are exploring a possible move for the central midfielder, and adds that it would take a fee of around £3m to get a deal done for him.
Why Rangers should sign Andy Irving
The Gers should swoop to sign the Scotland international because he is a midfielder with the potential to be Barry Ferguson 2.0 at Ibrox with his attacking qualities.
Way before he was the interim head coach in Glasgow last season, Ferguson was a terrific central midfielder for the Light Blues. He scored 59 goals and provided 29 assists in 420 matches in all competitions, as per Transfermarkt.
Irving only started one Premier League game for West Ham last season, but his form on loan at SK Austria Klagenfurt in the previous two campaigns suggests that he could be a fantastic signing for Rangers.
The left-footed maestro, whose football journey was described as “fascinating” by reporter Barry Anderson, showcased his ability to both score and assist goals at an impressive rate from a central midfield position.
Andy Irving (Austrian Bundesliga)
22/23
23/24
Appearances
31
28
Goals
5
9
Big chances missed
0
1
Big chances created
10
7
Key passes per game
1.4
1.2
Assists
6
4
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Irving caught the eye with 14 goals and 17 ‘big chances’ created in two seasons in the Austrian Bundesliga before his lack of minutes in the English top-flight last term.
These statistics suggest that the 25-year-old star could follow in Ferguson’s footsteps as a central midfielder and Scotland international who could make a big impact in the final third with goals and assists at Ibrox.
Whether Irving, who has not played in the Premiership since he was at Hearts in the 2019/20 campaign, can translate those performances over to Scotland with Rangers does remain to be seen, though.
At a potential fee of £3m, however, it appears to be a deal that could be worthwhile for the Gers, because they would be bringing in a homegrown, Scotland international, talent who has Premier League experience and the form in Austria to suggest that he could be Ferguson 2.0.
Therefore, Rangers should be pushing to beat Celtic to the signing of the former Jam Tarts man because he could be the next goalscoring Scottish midfield star to grace the pitch at Ibrox.
