Rangers had to get active in the final few hours of the transfer window in search of a striker. Jermain Defoe suffered a severe injury which might see him miss action for a month. The Bears were linked with a move with Burnley’s forward Matej Vydra. His agent Ondrej Chovanec has now gone on to confirm that Rangers and Premier League club Aston Villa did approach the Czech striker.
Vydra’s agent talks about Rangers approach
Chovanec said (The Express), ”Russian clubs are showing interest in Matej. But he also had offers from Rangers, Aston Villa and one major Ukrainian club. However, Burnley decided to keep him in the squad. They are short of strikers, and that was the reason.”
The Russian transfer window is open until February 21, and it would be interesting to see whether Sean Dyche would sanction a move or not for Vydra. It seems unlikely that he will as he gave the reason in January that the club is short on strikers.
Vydra has started just one game all season for the Clarets, and that game came in the Carabao Cup. The striker has six appearances in the Premier League this campaign, but none of them has come from the start. Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood are the established strikers in the first team, and Vydra is unlikely to get much game time until either of them suffer a significant injury.
We believe that Burnley would be more likely to sanction a move in the summer for Vydra as they would get enough time to replace him. Rangers should consider returning for the striker as he can be a handy player upfront.
Why should Rangers consider getting Vydra?
The 27-year-old was the top scorer in the English Championship while playing for Derby County in the 2017-18 campaign. That earned him a move to the Premier League, but he has failed to establish himself there.
Vydra can lead the line alone up front, but he has been more successful when he has played as a secondary striker, making runs off his strike partner. The Czech international can also play on the flanks as he showcases decent pace to go past players.
Rangers often deploy their wide forward players as attacking midfielders with fullbacks providing the width on the pitch. Vydra could be ideal for that role as he can look to drift inside and affect the game in the attacking third. The striker has an eye for a goal, and we believe that the Gers should return for him in the summer after Vydra’s agent confirmed that Rangers’ interest in January was real.
