When Glasgow Rangers signed Calvin Bassey back in the summer of 2020, not many supporters predicted he’d leave such a big impact on the team.
Over the next two seasons, the Nigerian defender made 65 appearances for the Light Blues and was a key part of the squad which secured a first Scottish Cup triumph in 13 years, along with reaching the Europa League final in 2022.
His sparkling performances led Ajax to sign him for £23m, which represented a record sale for the Light Blues.
Could manager Michael Beale sign another defender from Leicester City during the current summer transfer window and repeat their Bassey masterclass?
Will Rangers make another signing?
According to journalist Geoff Peters, the Gers are showing interest in centre-back Harry Souttar, who is the brother of current Light Blues star John Souttar.
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He said:
“Rangers are interested in taking Harry Souttar on loan from Leicester City. Souttar was an unused sub against Coventry at the weekend and not in the 20-man #lcfc squad tonight at Burton. Other clubs also monitoring the situation. His older brother John joined Rangers last year.”
The £40k-per-week giant would be a worthy addition to the Gers side and although it looks as though Beale faces competition for his signature, could the allure of the Champions League tempt him North of the border?
Could Harry Souttar improve Rangers?
The 24-year-old titan started his career off at Dundee United before making a move to Stoke City in 2016 and although it took him a few years and a couple of temporary moves away, he finally made an impression during the 2020/21 campaign, playing 43 matches across all competitions.
He enjoyed a wonderful start to the 2021/22 season, making 5.7 clearances per game while winning a staggering 6.8 duels per game – a success rate of 75% – and he was developing into one of the finer defenders in the Championship.
He suffered a horrible cruciate ligament rupture in November 2021 which ruled him out for nearly a full year.
It could have disrupted his entire career, yet Souttar used the anguish to go and shine for Australia at the 2022 World Cup.
Although born in Aberdeen, he represented the Wallabies in Qatar and kept two clean sheets from four matches while winning 4.8 duels and making 1.5 tackles per game. The defender was even lauded for being “like Superman” by pundit Danny Murphy following his display against Tunisia.
Having sealed a switch to the Foxes in January, the 6 foot 6 colossus suitably impressed in the Premier League, making one interception, 1.3 tackles and 3.8 clearances per game while also winning 5.1 duels per game at a success rate of 73%.
These statistics would have ranked him joint-second, ninth and first among the Rangers squad for these metrics, and only his brother, John, won more total duels per game (5.7) than he did last term, suggesting that he would certainly bolster this Rangers team.
Bassey arrived from Leicester and went onto become an integral part of the Rangers setup, moving on for big money. While Souttar looks as though it could be a temporary move, he could still have a similar sort of impact at the heart of Rangers' defence.