According to the latest reports from Daily Record, Rangers are in the race with Celtic and Hull City to sign Kilmarnock’s left-back Greg Taylor. The full-back recently made his debut for Scotland, and his stock has risen in the last few months after his impressive season with Kilmarnock. The reports though mentions that Rangers will have to ship away some left back options to lure Taylor to Ibrox.
Reports had earlier emerged that Gerrard could look to ship away Borna Barisic after the manager was not impressed with the Croatian’s desire and commitment when playing against Liverpool’s u-23 in a friendly in April. However, Barisic later went on to claim that the media blew things out of proportion and his relationship with Gerrard is fine.
But we think that things could change quickly in the transfer market and if Gerrard believes that Taylor is an upgrade over Barisic, then he might want to show the Croatian the door. Hull City are said to have a firm interest in Taylor, and they are valuing him at £400,000.
Taylor made 41 appearances for Kilmarnock last season, and he was an integral member of Steve Clarke’s team last season as they defied expectations and finished third in the Premiership.
What will Taylor bring at Ibrox?
The fullback’s standout attribute is his strength and pace. The 21-year-old is also a hard worker as he continuously goes up and down the pitch to help his team on both sides of the field. He can even fill in as a defensive midfielder when required.
After an impressive season, the Scotsman is definitely going to be in demand in the transfer market, and the Killie will hope that they can have their version of Kieran Tierney. His physicality pace and work rate are the reasons why even teams from the Championship are looking to make a move for him.
Should Rangers sign him?
Rangers paid close to £2m reportedly to acquire Barisic who also happens to be a Croatian international. The fullback suffered from injuries and wasn’t able to put up top performances after impressing initially. His desire, work rate and crossing all were below-par, and he was replaced by Andy Halliday and Jon Flanagan, even though the two aren’t natural left backs. Therefore that shows that Gerrard had lost confidence in Barisic.
However, we think that the Croatian should be given another year to prove his worth. Maybe injuries and settling in a new league took a toll on his performance last season. There were occasions when Barisic impressed, and Gerrard shouldn’t be impatient and sell him. Therefore if Barisic stays, then there is no point for the Gers to sign Taylor.
