According to the latest reports from the Scottish Sun, Rangers have held talks with Swedish left-back Martin Olsson recently. The defender is out of contract as he left Swansea City last month and Gerrard can sign him on a free transfer. Reports mention that the 31-year-old talked with Ibrox chief last week.
It’s being reported that Gerrard wants a tried and tested fullback and that is the reason why he is stepping up his pursuit of signing a left-back. It’s clear then that Gerrard is not convinced with the current options he has at his disposal. Borna Barisic started the season strongly, but his injuries and form troubled him throughout the campaign after that.
Recently reports emerged that Barisic was one of the players on whom Gerrard lashed out after Rangers went 4-0 down at half time in a friendly against Liverpool’s u-23. The report mentioned that the Croatian could be sold in the summer. However, Barisic rebuffed those claims and said that the media blew things out of proportion.
Jon Flanagan and Andy Halliday filled in for the rest of the season even though they were not naturals in that position. Olsson is an experienced campaigner as he has close to 200 appearances in the Premier League. He missed a good chunk of the last season due to injury and only managed to play 17 games for the Swans. The 31-year-old is also a 47 time Sweden international.
Olsson’s strengths
Olsson has impressive pace, and he can carry the ball out from the back. Defensively, too the Swedish player looks solid. However, he has been on a downward trajectory in the past few seasons, and he has struggled with form.
Is he a good option for Rangers?
On a free transfer, we think that he would still be a good signing for the Gers. Olsson has that physical side to his game which is often very necessary in the Premiership. Yes, his form has been dwindling in the past few seasons, but an experienced man like him can still make an impact.
The likes of Halliday and Flanagan have struggled to impact the play on the offensive front, and Barisic has been quite injury prone. With James Tavernier getting linked with a move away, Flanagan might be shifted to the right-back position, and it would become necessary for Gerrard to add options in the left back position. Therefore he should look to sign this experienced defender who seems like a safe bet on a free transfer.
