According to the reports from Turkish media outlet Asist Analiz, Rangers are interested in signing Martin Skrtel from Turkish heavyweights Fenerbahce. Olympiacos are also said to be in the mix. The report mentions that Fenerbahce has given Skrtel a chance to extend his contract for another year with an annual salary of €1.5 m. However, the Slovakian wants a two year deal with a salary of €2m per year.
This is not the first time that the Gers have been linked with Martin Skrtel as even last summer his name was doing the rounds. However, his salary was a big issue back then, and even now, we feel that it is going to be the primary problem. Last time Skrtel’s agent had said, ”Financially there is no chance of Martin going to Rangers. He couldn’t get half of his wages in Glasgow. It would be more like a third.”
His current demand roughly comes down to €38,500/week which is going to be too much for the Bears. Maybe if Gerrard asks for a personal favour from Skrtel to bring his demands down, then only we can see the former Liverpool defender heading to Ibrox.
Why Rangers need a centre back?
The Gers have been linked with quite a few names in the last few weeks, but they haven’t been able to secure the signatures of any defenders as of now. The club is set to lose Joe Worrall and Gareth McAuley as their contracts are set to expire and that would leave the club with only two central defenders in the form of Connor Goldson and Nikola Katic. The Europa league qualifiers begin early, and it is understandable why Gerrard wants to add a defender to his squad soon.
Is Skrtel a good choice?
The defender is still going strong for the Turkish giants as he made 40 appearances for them last season. Skrtel is already 34, so he is not going to be a long term option for the club. However, Rangers can do with an experienced defender to their squad as they have been guilty of making silly errors at the back.
He can be a decent bet as he is physically capable of taking on the challenges of the Scottish Premiership. However, his wages are going to be a big issue. But the fact that he can be signed up on a free transfer might mean that Rangers can use the saved up transfer funds on him to pay his wages.
However, we just don’t see Gerrard going for such a move as Skrtel is not a long term option. Until the 103 times Slovakian international gets his demands down, Rangers are more or less out of the race just like last season.
