Latest reports from the Daily Record indicates that Rangers are likely to land Southampton’s midfielder Steven Davis for free and both the parties are keen on a move. It is believed that Southampton are willing to let the 34-year-old midfielder leave on a free deal as a token for his services at the club over the course of six years. Davis had already entered in the final year of his contract, and his former team Rangers have been linked with him for quite some time now.
Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl indicated beforehand that he is looking to cut down his squad size. He was quoted as saying (The Scottish Sun), ‘Think the squad is very big, so we have a lot of positions where we have too many players and maybe one or the other is leaving us and we can bring in something new.”
Reports also add that Davis is already in contact with his international team-mate Gareth McAuley and the move is likely to go through sooner rather than later. All Rangers need to do is sort out the midfielder’s financial package. Sources close to the player indicates that Davis wants a two year deal with the Gers.
The midfielder had a glorious first stint with the Bears as he was part of the squad which won three league titles, two Scottish Cups and three League Cups. To go with that, he was also part of the team which reached the 2008 UEFA Cup finals. However, everything turned downhill after that and the Bears had to let him go in 2012. The Northern Ireland captain was snapped up by English outfit Southampton.
Rangers seem to be getting back to their best as they are level on points with Celtic having played a game more. Steven Gerrard has brought progress at the club as last season the Gers were 11 points behind Celtic at this point. This season has already been a season of comebacks as Kyle Lafferty and Allan McGregor joined the club for their second spell and Davis’ name is also likely to be added to this list.
Gerrard could very much require his experience and the Bears are also slightly light on options in midfield at the moment as Ovie Ejaria cut short his loan spell. Lassana Coulibaly’s form has dipped drastically in the last two odd months and even at the age of 34, Davis can do a top job in midfield.
Getting someone who has an experience of winning titles and has been in a situation of a title race would come in handy in the dressing room. Even if Davis does not play every game, the midfielder can have a significant impact off the field. This is a positive start for Rangers in the January window as they are very likely to pull off this deal.
