According to the latest reports from Sky Sports, Rangers are considering making a bid for 18-year-old midfielder Matt O’Riley. The Englishman currently plies his trade for Premier League outfit Fulham and the academy product has failed to break into the senior team and has only played Cup competition for the Cottagers this season.
To go with Rangers, Celtic are also said to be in the mix along with plenty of other teams. What is interesting to add is that the midfielder is also attracting interest from Bundesliga outfits like Stuttgart, RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund. Those teams are said to be scouting him, and recently they saw the midfielder in action while he was representing Fulham’s u-23 side in the Premier League 2.
Fulham are currently struggling in the Premier League and are fighting to remain in the English top flight. Given the situation, trying an untested 18-year-old could be tough as Claudio Ranieri would want to have experienced heads in midfield. Amongst all this, other interested parties might take advantage of such a situation.
Rangers have plenty of depth in the middle of the park but O’Riley also has that creative side to his game which can make him an interesting prospect. However, we don’t really see him making a huge impact if the Gers manage to sign him in this window.
Plus with so many options in the middle of the park and the fact that they have already signed Steven Davis and Glen Kamara (On a pre-contract deal) makes us believe that Steven Gerrard would not go after another midfielder in this window.
Rangers have done well to keep up with their title charge as they sit level on points with Celtic on the top of the table having played a game more. Many are considering them as favourites now after they managed to add experience to the squad by bringing in the likes of Steven Davis and Jermain Defoe.
The Cottagers midfielder was impressive in his displays against Manchester United’s u-23 recently where his side emerged 3-1 winners. The youngster is calm and composed on the ball and is often able to read the game well and pick out the right pass. His work rate is also worth mentioning, and he has also been used in a deeper role in midfield when required. However, the England u-18 international is at his best in central midfield as that allows him to get on the ball in dangerous areas.
O’Riley is still a work in progress but Rangers anyway are going to find it hard to lure him. Fulham too would want to keep hold of him given his talent and abilities, and with a club of Dortmund’s stature in the race, we don’t see the Gers pulling off this move. Even if Rangers did stand a chance of getting this deal done, we believe Gerrard would be better off concentrating on strengthening other areas of the squad.
