Rangers haven’t really catered to their yardsticks in a shrewd manner as they have failed to impose a monumental challenge of any sort whatsoever to go toe-to-toe with their arch rivals, Celtic. Post Mark Warburton’s departure from the Ibrox Stadium, Pedro Caixinha has been handed the responsibility of taking the Scottish giants forward, which implies that the summer transfer window would hold a paramount importance.
A defender of high calibre would unarguably be on the wish-list of Caixinha as their backline has been sporadic this season. Clint Hill’s contract is due to expire in the summer and considering his age, an extension might not be on the cards. Moreover, Rob Kiernan and Danny Wilson haven’t had the best of seasons either and thus, the Gers are in a dire need of a seasonal campaigner who could grant them an element of resilience with consistency.
One of the Championship players the former Al Gharafa boss could possibly target is Ipswich Town’s central defender Christophe Berra. The 32-year-old veteran has had a stellar campaign with the Tractor Boys, as he has made 37 appearances so far this season and has scored 1 goal and bagged 1 assist as well. Now coming to his primary duty of shielding his side, Berra has made 1.5 tackles, 3.6 interceptions, 7.5 clearances and 0.8 goals per game on an average which perfectly advocate as to why he is rated so highly amongst the football fraternity.
Having erupted to the global stage from the youth ranks of Hearts of Midlothian, he plied his trade for his boyhood club before moving to Wolverhampton Wanderers and had gathered more than a century of appearances for both these clubs. His move to the Portman Road has been a successful one as well and intriguingly, he had played alongside Rangers’ defender, Lee Wallace, whilst his time with Hearts. So should a reunion among these two defenders be materialised in the summer?
Absolutely. Berra is a player with proven class and flair. He has excellent leadership traits, hardly puts a foot wrong and gels the backline meticulously as a unit. Despite being in his thirties, he still has years of football left in him and should be a nearly impeccable addition to a club aiming for a reconstruction as the Teddy Bears. Interestingly, his contract expires in the summer which implies that Caixinha might even get him free: what more could he possibly ask for?
Statistics Credits: WhoScored
