Rangers were challenging Celtic for the title until the end of the last year, but they lost their way after the winter break. The derby win in December would have given them a lot of belief, but now the Bears find themselves out of domestic cup competitions and 11 points adrift from the top of the table.
Quite a few problems have been highlighted in the past few months: inconsistency, defensive frailties, miscommunication at the back and their inability to break down teams which defend in numbers. Steven Gerrard had mentioned in November on how his side lacked a genuine no. 10. He said that he would look to solve that problem in the upcoming transfer windows. Rangers failed to find that player in January, so we expect them to go after a creative player in the summer.
One player with whom they have been linked (Daily Record) is Nick Powell. The Wigan Athletic man is garnering quite a lot of attention, and even Celtic are said to be in the race (Hurriyet) for him. There is no doubt that Rangers are more in need of a playmaker than Celtic as the Hoops have got the likes of Ryan Christie, Tom Rogic and Callum McGregor who can play in that role.
So Rangers cannot afford to miss out on the signing of Powell in the summer.
Why Rangers need a playmaker?
Gerrard has plenty of options to choose from in midfield. However, most of the players he has are similar in their style as they are suited to play in a box to box role. The likes of Ryan Jack, Ross McCrorie, Scott Arfield, Glen Kamara and Steven Davis aren’t outright playmakers, and that is what has cost Rangers in the second half of the campaign.
When Morelos hasn’t been in his element, the Bears have struggled to open up defences. As a result, even though they have lost just one more game than Celtic this season, they find themselves eleven points behind them due to too many drawn games.
Why can Powell be a game changer?
The Wigan Athletic man has been in terrific form in the last two years for the English outfit. The 25-year-old likes to play in between the midfield and defensive line and he can pick out a pass as he is technically gifted. He also has that physical presence which allows him to be used as a secondary striker when required.
The only drawback we can find on him is that he is slightly injury prone. But all in all, on a free transfer, he is the perfect player that Rangers need to give themselved a boost for the next season.
