If a report from the Daily Mail is believed to be true, Rangers are keeping close tabs on Martin Fraisl over a potential summer transfer. The Schalke keeper has a few months left in his current deal at Veltins-Arena and despite an impressive run of form, the Royal Blues have no plans to offer him a contract extension beyond the ongoing campaign (The Daily Record understands).
The 28-year-old Austrian progressed through the youth ranks of Sportunion Wolfsbach. He spent a few years in the lower leagues of Austria before plying his trade in Romania. There he enjoyed top-flight football with Botoșani before completing a Bosman switch to Germany with SV Sandhausen back in July 2019.
Fraisl featured week in week out in the second tier of Bundesliga but eventually left for ADO Den Haag last year during the winter window. Although he could not rescue the Eredivisie side from going down, the promises exhibited between the sticks earned him a move to Schalke six months later.
The German giants, who endured relegation last season, are aiming for an immediate Bundesliga return and the gaffer Dimitrios Grammozis has now promoted Fraisl as Schalke’s new ‘number 1’ ahead of veteran Ralf Fahrmann. So far he has featured 15 times this term across competitions and the Miners, currently 5th, are only two points behind the league leaders Darmstadt.
Why Rangers Should Secure His Services
Meanwhile, Rangers have tied down Jon McLaughlin in a two-year deal but are bracing themselves for Allan McGregor’s exit who might hang up the gloves once the season is over. They would need someone to replace the 40-year-old Scotsman in the long run and the Schalke star, given his emergence in recent years, should do well under the tutelage of Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
Having said that, the Gers might undergo a transfer tussle with Norwich City who are also monitoring his contract situation. Robby McCrorie is there as well following his progress through the academy ranks, but the young Scot is not yet ready to feature week in week out even though he has impressed in limited minutes donning the Rangers colours.
Fraisl won’t be handed an instant starting role and must prove his worth in the training ground as well as in the pre-season contests to stake a claim in the manager’s plans. There is little room for mistakes in the Premiership since Celtic’s resurgence under Ange Postecoglou as the Old Firm rivals are going head to head once again to conquer the Scottish crown.
