Rangers are reportedly in advanced talks with Crystal Palace’s midfield ace, James McArthur. The 30-year-old is running out of a contract with the Premier League outfit and the Light Blues can acquire him on a free transfer.
McArthur is a boyhood fan of the club despite being born in Glasgow, Scotland. He developed his game with the Rangers South BC and Rangers SABC youth setups and is a product of the Hamilton Academical.
The midfielder has been key in Palace’s operations during his 4-year tenure at the club. McArthur has racked up 127 appearances for the Eagles and has scored 5 times in the 2017/18 campaign.
Roy Hodgson and even Alan Pardew had relied on him heavily to drive the midfield out throughout the entirety of a 90-minute game. McArthur has not only carried out his defensive responsibilities with the utmost discipline, he has stood out as a leader for the rest of his teammates.
While Palace are still in the mix for a relegation drop, Stoke City and Southampton’s failure to register points might just see Hodgson’s side through to safety. A 6-point safety net might just be enough with 4 games still left in the regular season and Palace left with Stoke and West Brom in the final 2 games.
Rangers, on the other hand, are second in the Premiership table and are still bitter from the embarrassing 4-0 loss to their rivals Celtic in the Scottish Cup final. Their title challenge have also been less illustrious with Brendan Rodgers and his men surging ahead with a 10-point lead.
Their progression from the Championship have been meteoric but has been halted in recent times. Restrengthening is necessary in the summer window and the positions of Sean Goss and Dalcio will have to be filled when they return to their respective parent clubs.
McArthur will also bring with him a lot of Premier League experience and could be the long-term enforcer the Gers have been looking for. The 2018/19 campaign needs to be addressed with the ultimate amount of vigour in order to end the Celtic dominance in Scotland’s top-flight.
The club’s director of football operations, Mark Allen has taken on the responsibilities of selling and buying players in the absence of a first team head coach. He is also pursuing Scott Arfield from Burnley and two more central defenders after the club exit of David Bates on a pre-contractual agreement with Hamburger SV and Danny Wilson to the MLS.
