Rangers FC have just confirmed the signing of Scott Arfield on a 4-year-long contract from Premier League side, Burnley. The 29-year-old becomes the newly appointed manager, Steven Gerrard’s first signing. Arfield has ended his 5-year association with the Clarets, racking up 193 appearances for the club along with 22 goals and 12 assists.
This definitely is a massive boost for the Ibrox side who have been taking it on the chin over the past couple of weeks. The 5-0 thrashing from their bitter rivals, Celtic is still festering as a fresh wound, only to be curbed with the hopes of a successful 2018/19 season.
It will take a significant amount of restructuring from the coming transfer window to even place the slightest bit of challenge to Celtic’s dominance in the Scottish top-flight. Signing a prestigious name like Gerrard and an experienced player like Arfield gives fans the assurance they need for the near future.
Arfield is in no sense a scoring winger or the most prolific name to come out of the Premier League. Most of his expertise lies in outworking opponents and running them to the very ground. He is wonderfully adaptable on the wide areas and works equally hard on the defensive end. His presence has been highly appreciated in Burnley’s best season in the English top-flight.
He has appeared in 20 games this season, 15 of them in the starting XI and has registered 2 goals and 1 assist to his name. Sean Dyche’s defensive setup has been perfectly implemented through the Canadian international who unfortunately fell to a calf injury in the latter half of the campaign.
Before taking the pitch at Turf Moor, Arfield was making a name for himself in the Huddersfield Town lineup, racking up 119 total appearances for the club. He started his professional career with Scottish outfit, Falkirk and was even awarded the Scottish Premiership Young Player Of The Month in December 2007.
Falkirk gifted him with the number 10 shirt, which at the time was a massive achievement. He even represented the club in the UEFA Europa League against FC Vaduz in the 2009/10 season and ended the season with 3 goals in 36 appearances.
Burnley finished the 2017/18 season in the 7th spot of the league table making them the ‘best of the rest’. A remarkable achievement from a side who only won back promotion two seasons back.
It would be wise for Dyche and the rest of his management team to start building on this season’s success and start purchasing high-profile names within their own financial capabilities. The similar advice can be applied for Rangers FC whose problems were exposed by the Hoops in both domestic competitions.
Read More: 24 Y/O Former Rangers Target Could Be Available This Summer: Should Gerrard Make A Move For Him?
Arfield is an experienced head who will be able to lead the team on the offensive end.
