Steven Gerrard and his quest for adding free agent players seem to be never-ending as latest reports from Italian journalist Nicolo Schira suggest that Rangers approached to sign veteran Italian midfielder Claudio Marchisio. But the former Juventus player declined that offer.
The transfer window has already come to an end, but teams can sign free agents. Russian outfit Zenit St. Petersburg released Marchisio in July, and he has been on the lookout for a new club since. However, it is clear that the 33-year-old is not interested in moving to Scotland to play for Rangers.
The Italian midfielder has won 7 Serie A titles with his time at Juventus, and he has represented Italy 55 times as well. Marchisio is known to be a versatile midfielder as he can play in various kind of roles in the middle. However, he is predominantly known as a box to box midfielder.
Marchisio has made over 290 appearances in the Serie A and has featured 47 times in the Champions League as well. No doubt he would have added a lot of experience and steel in the middle of the park at Ibrox. However, there is no need for Gerrard to increase his squad size further by bringing in a new player.
Why is Gerrard well covered?
The club have already signed Andy King on loan who is a similar player to that of Marchisio so the signing wouldn’t have made much sense. However, it seems like even though Gerrard has plenty of options, he is always looking to improve on the quality of players.
The manager currently has plenty of options in midfield as he has got the likes of Steve Davis Ryan Jack, Joe Aribo, Glen Kamara, Greg Docherty, Andy King and Scott Arfield. The manager had to let go of a promising option like Ross McCrorie as he would have struggled with game time. McCrorie, therefore, went on to join Portsmouth on loan.
The way things are going, Gerrard might end up signing himself as a player for Rangers. Having ample squad depth is a good idea. However, too many options can also be an issue as the boss might struggle to find the best midfield pairing and the right combination from the number of options available. Moreover, players who won’t be assured of starts might start losing confidence after seeing plenty of competition for places.
Given his experience and the fact that Marchisio played in the Europa League just last season only, the Italian would have been an eye-catching signing. However, missing out on him shouldn’t be a blow, and Gerrard should make use of the options that he has available at his disposal.
