Rangers FC have agreed on a season-long loan deal for Liverpool youngster, Ovie Ejaria to make it their fourth signing of this summer window. Steven Gerrard has already signed Scott Arfield and Alan McGregor from Burnley and Hull respectively and has also extended the contract of Jamie Murphy on a permanent basis.
Ejaria will be moving to the Ibrox right after signing a new contract with his parent club. He is coming off another loan spell with Sunderland and was a part of the England U20 squad which won the FIFA U20 World Cup in South Korea last year.
He made 11 league appearances for the Black Cats last term and contributed with a single goal. The 20-year-old was included in the England squad for the Toulon tournament but had to withdraw his name due to injury.
Still, in the midst of his development phase, Ejaria has been slowly making a name for himself in the Liverpool ranks. It will still take a lot of work for him to break into the starting XI but the youngster can remain hopeful with a manager like Jurgen Klopp holding the reigns at Anfield.
After signing his new contract, Ejaria said, “I really want to be a regular at Liverpool football club, a massive club, so that’s my aim. I’m just going to keep working hard and see where that takes me.”
Gerrard is well acquainted with the talents of the Southwark-born player, having coached him at the U18 level at Merseyside. The Gers boss has been utilising his Liverpool contacts to help bolster his current squad.
Rangers will have to start matching the talent pool of Celtic before they can successfully challenge for the league title next season. Another humiliation at the hands of their bitter rivals will not paint a pretty picture in Gerrard’s resume as head coach.
Ejaria is a versatile attacker who is best suited to the number ten position. He scored 3 times in his 26 appearances for the Reds U23 side. The Englishman is crafty with possession and can operate from both strike and deep holding midfield roles.
With Sean Goss out of the Ibrox, Ejaria can fill in as an able backup to Josh Windass. He will have to impress both Gerrard and Klopp in the next campaign to earn his place in the Liverpool squad next term.
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There are plenty of competing youngsters like Ryan Kent, Marko Grujic, Harry Wilson and Ben Woodburn who are vying for the same place as him.
