According to a report from the Daily Post, as cited by the Daily Record, Nigerian teenager Adrian Akande has been on trial with Rangers in recent weeks. The 16-year-old winger left Chelsea not too long ago, and he has made his way to Glasgow for a trial. It is still not clear whether Rangers would look to sign the young talent or not.
The winger made his debut for Chelsea’s u-23 side against Newcastle United when he was just 15. Akande has also been part of Nigeria’s U17 African Cup of Nation team this year.
The likes of Celtic have also been linked with a move for him. Premier League heavyweights like Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur have shown some degree of interest in the teen sensation. Hence, Rangers will have their work cut out for them with so many top clubs showing an interest in Akande.
Rangers Might have the edge over others
The competition for places in top Premier League clubs will always be high. Often these clubs can sign big-money players, but young talents like Akande might struggle to break into the first team. At Rangers, Akande might have a much easier path towards first-team football.
There is no better way to develop a youngster than making him play at a high level. Often young talents at top clubs keep playing for the development side and they never really manage to get a good run into the first team. Hence Rangers might be able to edge out other competitors on that basis as Akande might feel he is more likely to make it big at the Ibrox.
The Bears have plenty of options on the wings at the moment. They have budding youngsters like Glenn Middleton and Jake Hastie at their disposal. They are currently away on loan and will look to join the senior squad next summer. Right now, Gerrard has Ryan Kent, Brandon Barker, Sheyi Ojo and Jordan Jones as the wingers in his squad.
One for the future?
Given Akande’s age, he is likely being seen as an option for the future, and he will have to grind it out for a few years atleast at the youth level before he can make a breakthrough in Rangers’ senior side. It is always advisable to keep the young pool of players coming in. Hopefully, Akande would be able to live up to the expectations as he seems to be a top talent with some major clubs chasing him. It remains to be seen now whether Rangers would be able to lure him or not in the future.
