Rangers recently secured the signing of Joe Aribo, and that was considered a massive win for the Bears in the transfer market. Top clubs were after the former Charlton Atheltic man, and it atleast took us by surprise that the Gers were able to land the English midfielder over some Premier League clubs.
However, the new signing doesn’t bode well for everyone, and another addition to the midfield position brought Ross McCrorie further down the pecking order at Ibrox. Recent reports (official Portsmouth website) confirm that the 21-year-old has moved to Portsmouth on a season-long loan deal. Reports had earlier emerged that the Pompey are also looking to include an option to buy clause on the agreement.
Gerrard should in no way accept the option to buy clause as McCrorie showed impressive signs last season playing as a defensive midfielder. Still just 21, the Scotsman has a big future ahead of himself. Recently Gerrard conveyed that he will have a talk with the midfielder and explain to him how he cannot offer him regular game time at Ibrox.
Gerrard on what he will do with McCrorie
The manager said, ”With Ross, I’ll have a conversation with him as the pre-season goes on. It will boil down to what Ross’ ambitions are. A lot of boys think differently to the way I think. It will come down to what will satisfy Ross over the course of the season. If he’s expecting to start every single game, that won’t be the case. But I’ll speak to him before deciding what to do next.”
Has Gerrard taken the right call here?
Playing regularly at this age is probably the most vital thing for a youngster’s development, and Portsmouth can be a good fit for McCrorie as they will be fighting to win promotion to the Championship. With the Gers securing the services of Glen Kamara, Steven Davis and Joe Aribo since the turn of the year, McCrorie was always going to find it hard to get regular game time at the club. With Ryan Jack and Scott Arfield also available as other options, Rangers are well covered in midfield for the time being.
McCrorie was especially impressive against Celtic last season when Rangers won against them in December last year. His tenacity and work rate was eye-catching, and there is enough potential in him to be a regular at the club in a few years. Steven Davis and Scott Arfield aren’t going to be around for long so McCrorie’s chances will come and sending him away on loan is definitely the right decision here.
However, Gerrard needs to make sure that he doesn’t include the option to buy clause as many fans would be livid with that decision as the midfielder has the potential to be a regular in the future.
