Rangers have set the ball rolling in the transfer market as they have acquired one target after another in the last few weeks. The team seems to be shaping up well in mounting a better challenge on Celtic for the next season. Steven Gerrard would hopefully be aware that the scrutiny for the upcoming campaign will be a lot more intense than the previous season. Therefore he needs to make sure almost everything is sorted before the new season begins.
Kris Boyd’s advice to Gerrard
Former Rangers striker and Scottish international Kris Boyd had a piece of advice for Gerrard. Speaking to Sky Sports’ Transfer Talk Podcast as cited by The Express, he said, ”There’s no doubt Rangers need a left-back. The recruitment last summer wasn’t good enough. They signed a couple of players off the back of playing against them in the Europa League.
“Right away, they didn’t look as if they were comfortable. [Eros] Grezda we never really saw. [Borna] Barisic, we never really saw, he was always in and out and injured. There’s no doubt that Rangers need a left-back, that’s the top priority this summer.”
Barisic’s rocky start at Ibrox
Boyd wants Rangers to sign a new left-back. Barisic started his season at Ibrox well, but he struggled with form and injury after that. Reports even came out once that Gerrard was unhappy with the player’s desire and lack of commitment and he wanted to sell him in the summer window. However, the fullback later rubbished those reports and claimed that media blew things out of proportion.
However, the fact that Gerrard selected Jon Flanagan and Andy Halliday consistently in the second half of the campaign, even when Barisic was available, suggests clearly that the manager is not happy with what the Croatian is providing with at Ibrox.
Many might agree with Boyd’s concern and would want Rangers to sign a new left-back for the upcoming season as it is going to be a make or break campaign for the Light Blues. Even Celtic are under pressure to add reinforcements to the squad, and if the Gers manage to recruit well, then they might have a head start over Celtic for the next season.
Back Barisic for another season
However, we think that he should be given another season to prove himself. The 26-year-old is also a Croatian international, and maybe because of injuries, he struggled to get back to his best after starting brightly. Moreover, he might not have been used to playing under such pressure and scrutiny before. There were positive sparks in the player when he started his season. Hopefully, from Rangers’ point of view, the left-back will take the past year as a learning experience and go on to deliver and prove why the Gers spent £2.2m on him.
