According to the reports from Daily Record, Stoke City and Middlesbrough will make moves for Jordan Jones if Rangers allows the winger to leave on loan this month. Blackburn Rovers are also said to be interested. Stoke boss Michael O’Neill will reportedly love for the Rangers man to join the club in January as the Potters are fighting relegation in the Championship.
Jordan Jones was brought in the summer by Rangers on a free transfer from Kilmarnock. The winger had spent three years with Kilmarnock where he was able to catch the eye of Rangers scouts. The winger was linked with the Bears on numerous previous occasions as well, and the move finally went through this summer.
Jones’ season so far
Jones started his season strongly, and he played a crucial role in the Europa League qualifiers where Rangers came through four gruelling rounds to make it to the main draw. The Northern Irish winger was seen as a critical component of Rangers side until then.
However, the arrival of Ryan Kent in the final few days of the transfer window changed everything. Nobody was expecting Rangers to cough up £7m for Kent until then, but Gerrard decided to open the bank and sign the player permanently after he impressed on loan. With Kent coming in, Jones was always going to find it hard to get game time as both of them are competing for the left-wing spot.
To make matters worse, Jones went into a reckless challenge on Moritz Bauer in the first derby of the season. The winger came off worse, and he suffered an injury which saw him miss close to three months of action. He is back training again, but the 25-year-old is likely to struggle for game time as long as Kent is fit and available.
What should be Gerrard’s play?
However, we believe that Rangers should keep hold of Jones until the end of the season. The Gers are competing on various fronts, and they are in a tight title race with Celtic. The club are also in the next round of the Europa League. Hence, Rangers will need squad depth to challenge on all fronts.
Jones has the directness, pace and quality to turn games. Even if he doesn’t play regularly, he can make an impact as a substitute in the last quarter of the match against tiring defenders. Hence, Gerrard should keep hold of the 25-year-old ace with English Championship clubs circling him.
