Rangers seems to have found their replacement for Jamie Murphy who suffered a season-ending injury recently. The winger is likely to be replaced by Albanian international Eros Grezda, and the Gers are closing in on a £2m deal for him. Losing out on the former Brighton and Hove Albion winger for the entire season would have been a massive blow, but Gerrard would be glad that the injury at least happened during the transfer window which has allowed him to close in on a replacement for the 29-year-old.
Grezda currently plies his trade for Croatian side Osijek who incidentally were defeated by Gerrard’s men in the Europa League qualifiers earlier. However, Grezda didn’t feature in those games as he was suffering from an injury. It’s believed that the player is in Scotland already for a medical and the official announcement would be made soon. This will also be Gerrard’s 13th signing of the season.
Grezda moved to Osijek from NK Lokomotiva last season only, and he scored eight goals and provided three assists in his first season. The 23-year-old is an absolute like for like replacement for Murphy as he plays down the left wing. However, he is versatile enough to play on the other side of the flank as well. He has even led the line for his previous teams, but it is highly unlikely that he would do the same at Ibrox as they have the likes of Alfredo Morelos and Kyle Lafferty.
What will he add to the Gers squad?
Grezda is a relatively unknown player coming from Albania. His most impressive spell came when he was with Lokomotiva where he scored 15 and assisted nine goals in 72 appearances in his two-year period. The player has the experience of playing in Europa League qualifiers so he could be aware of the level of competition at the European level.
He is known to be quick on his feet and has more than handy pace which would trouble quite a few defenders in the Scottish League. He can go past defenders and put in dangerous crosses. Most of his assists have often come from such crosses which the likes of Morelos and Lafferty would thrive on. He is not shy of having a pop now and then at goal.
He has played the most of his career on the right flank, but he is equally adept at playing on the other side and in a more central attacking midfield role as well. So his versatility would be his biggest asset and Gerrard can also go on to use him in place of Daniel Candeias and Ryan Kent who haven’t had that kind of impact as of now. His work rate is also good as he often tracks back to help his team out defensively.
He is just 23, so he has age on his side, and if the Albanian shows the right attitude to improve, he can turn out to be a shrewd piece of business for the Gers. Gerrard would require a dynamic player like him after the injury of Murphy and sale of Josh Windass to Wigan Athletic.
