According to the latest reports from The Sun on Sunday (17/2; page 61), Ranger had tried to sign Liverpool’s left back Adam Lewis in January as the 19-year-old was in the last few months of his contract and was available on a bargain. However, the same reports add that Lewis signed a new four year deal with the Reds.
There is no official confirmation yet about a new deal, but we think it is entirely plausible given how highly rated Lewis is at Liverpool. The youngster recently travelled with the first team to Spain for a warm weather training camp, and that definitely indicates that Jurgen Klopp sees him as a prospect for the future.
The same reports from the Sun also add that Lewis will be promoted to the senior Liverpool team by the next season to be an understudy to Andy Robertson.
Lewis would have been an exciting signing for the Gers given his talent and abilities. The youngster is a regular for the Reds at the Premier League 2 and UEFA Youth league level, and the Englishman has managed eight assists so far in all competitions.
Rangers signed Borna Barisic in the summer, and the Croatian is definitely a top left back. However, injuries have often affected him this season. As a result, Rangers have had to use Andy Halliday in the left-back role who is by trade a midfielder.
But Halliday seems to be well adept in that position, and we don’t see this being a huge miss for the Gers as they have two decent left back options at the club. Moreover, someone like Jon Flanagan can also fill in that role when required.
Lewis is an attack-minded fullback, and his ability on the ball allows him to play in advanced areas as well. He has even been used in midfield at the youth level, but it is clear that he is being seen as a left back for the senior team. With Alberto Moreno in the last few months of his contract with Liverpool, Lewis can be the second choice by next season. That leads us to believe that there was no way that Liverpool would have sold him in January given his talent and abilities.
Rangers need to look at other areas to improve on in the summer. Lewis would have been a great addition given his quality, but it was always going to be a distant dream for Gerrard to sign him permanently at Ibrox. So, all in all our ruling is that is is not a big miss for Gerrard.
