Steven Gerrard had earlier claimed (The Scotsman) that he would sign his loan quartet of Ovie Ejaria, Lassana Coulibaly, Joe Worrall and Ryan Kent permanently if given an opportunity. However, some of the performance of his players have gone down in the past one odd month.
Ovie Ejaria already returned to Liverpool cutting short his loan spell. Lassana Coulibaly who impressed in the initial month is currently nowhere near his best, and the Mali international was dropped for the all-important game against Celtic.
Coulibaly recently went on to give an interview where he claimed that he would like to sign for Rangers permanently. He was quoted as saying (Sunday Post),”Of course, I would like to stay at Rangers, but I need to respect the contract that I have with Angers, Now if Rangers want me, then they have to buy me. If I am here next season, I will be happy. It’s good to hear if the manager wants to keep me. I feel like I am at home. I don’t feel like I am here on loan.”
On current form, Coulibaly is unlikely to get a start ahead of Ross McCrorie, Scott Arfield and Ryan Jack in midfield and we believe that is the best midfield three which Gerrard can play with at the moment. However, this wasn’t the case in the initial months as the Angers loanee was an essential player for Gerrard and it seemed like he could have a significant impact this season.
Ever since he was sidelined due to an injury for a short spell, a different Coulibaly turned up at Ibrox, and he isn’t looking the same player which he was in the first month or so. With the departure of Ejaria, the midfielder got a chance to play in a slightly more advanced role in the last few games, but he flattered to deceive more often than not.
Coulibaly might be wanting a permanent move at the moment, but Gerrard should not give him one based on his current showings. The 22-year-old still has half a season to impress the manager and fans. Therefore, he needs to work hard to get Rangers to ‘buy’ him permanently over the summer.
It was weird to see his loss of form coming all of a sudden, and it’s often the first month which is tough for players coming from other leagues. However, in Coulibaly’s case, it was the complete opposite. He is likely to get some chances here and there and needs to take them if he wants to continue his stint at Ibrox beyond this season.
