Recently Steven Gerrard had travelled to France to see Rennes’ defender Edson Mexer in action. The 30-year-old was going to be out of contract, and Gerrard had hoped that he could lure him to Rangers in the summer. However, latest reports from the BBC confirms that the defender has signed a four-year deal with Bordeaux.
It wasn’t run of the mill rumour as Gerrard had confirmed that he admired Mexer. He had said, ”I went to watch Rennes v Monaco to analyse a lot of players, bumped into numerous players after the game, and was asked for a picture. We are looking for centre-backs, and Mexer is a good player we admire, but what I’m led to believe is that he’ll be playing his football in France next year.”
Why Rangers need a centre back?
The Gers are going to fall short of Celtic this season as the Hoops are on track for another treble. The club will need to add reinforcements to prepare for a better challenge next season. Rangers will lose the services of Joe Worrall and Gareth McAuley in the next few weeks as their contracts are expiring.
The club will only be left with Connor Goldson and Nikola Katic who can play as centre backs. Therefore we think that Gerrard might end up signing atleast two centre backs in the upcoming summer transfer window.
Why could Mexer have been a smart signing?
Gerrard’s men have played well in patches, but they haven’t been able to maintain that consistency. The likes of Joe Worrall, Connor Goldson and Nikola Katic have performed just like their team as they have looked well in patches, but they have also let the side down on occasions.
The team desperately needs an experienced and level headed centre half who can be a leader at the back. Goldson was supposed to be that man, but he has had issues of his own. Mexer could have been that ideal candidate to solve Rangers’ defensive woes as he was experienced enough and he still has some good years left in him.
The 30-year-old was a regular for Rennes, and it is no surprise that a club like Bordeaux went after him as he has consistently impressed in the Ligue 1. Losing out on him is definitely a major blow for Gerrard. Moreover, the centre back was available on a free transfer, and he could have been a shrewd signing for the club. The Gers need to identify new targets now that Mexer has slipped away from their grasp.
