Many were skeptical in the first place when Rangers recruited English midfielder Joey Barton this past summer. The 34-year-old has always been surrounded by controversies throughout his career and the same happened at Ibrox. First, the former Newcastle United star was suspended by the club after a training ground dispute which became only worse with time. Rangers finally pulled the plug on Joey Barton’s ill-fated stint at Ibrox last week, announcing that his contract has been terminated.
Well, Rangers do have plenty of options in the middle of the park even after parting ways with Barton and Niko Kranjcar going down with a season-ending injury. They have got players like Halliday, Holt, Windass, Rossiter and Crooks but all of them are pretty young. Experience in midfield can prove to be very vital and that is probably the reason why they went for Barton and Kranjcar in the summer.
Rangers will definitely be in the market for a quality midfielder in January preferably someone who has plenty of experience in top flight. Let us take a look at three players they could go for.
Diego Poyet
Well, the son of former Chelsea and Uruguay international Gus Poyet is not the most experienced player but would be a shrewd signing from the Gers. The ex-West Ham United central midfielder would be a brilliant signing from Rangers, quite simply because he wouldn’t command a transfer fee having been released by the Hammers at the end of last season.
A creative midfielder with an impressive work rate and good technique, Poyet can add a whole new dimension to Rangers’ midfield.
Henri Lansbury
The English midfielder has been the lynchpin of the Nottingham Forest side since he joined the Reds in 2012. The dynamic midfielder has been a success in English Championship over the years. He knows how to pass, can add a decent number of goals from the midfield and also has brilliant vision. The Arsenal youth product would be one hell of a signing by Rangers if they can make it happen.
Sebastian Larsson
Well, Larsson would be a big upgrade on Barton. The Swedish midfielder can play in a range of midfield positions and has a deadly eye for a pass. He boasts 87 caps for the Swedish national team and is an experienced Premier League campaigner. Not a regular for Sunderland anymore, Larsson needs a move now in order to get regular game time and players like him are exactly what Rangers are missing now.
