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The January transfer window officially closes next week and this means that Glasgow Rangers are running out of time to make further additions to their squad.
Nils Koppen and Philippe Clement have only worked to bring in one new recruit so far to bolster the team, with Rafael Fernandes arriving on an initial loan from Lille, with the option to make it permanent in the summer.
This time last year, the Belgian chiefs brought in Fabio Silva, Oscar Cortes, and Mohamed Diomande on loan deals, with the latter two re-joining in the summer.
The Scottish giants will have to move quickly in the coming days if they want to end the current window with as many signings as they managed in 2024, although they may feel like they do not need as many reinforcements.
Rangers still have the Europa League and the SFA Cup to play for, with Celtic potentially too far ahead to realistically catch in the Scottish Premiership, and this means that they still have a chance to end the season with a trophy.
Whilst new signings can make a big impact and be exciting for supporters, the Gers also have some academy talent coming through that could be like new signings – including Findley Curtis.
Findley Curtis’ first-team emergence
The 18-year-old forward recently made his first-team debut for the club against Fraserburgh in the SFA Cup, as he came off the bench for the final 30 minutes in a 5-0 win over the fifth-tier outfit.
Being trusted to come on at 3-0 up at Ibrox against fifth-tier opposition is one thing, but coming on at 1-0 down to Premier League giants Manchester United at Old Trafford in the Europa League is a completely different proposition.
Curtis came on to replace the injured Vaclav Cerny with 30 minutes left to go in Manchester and worked incredibly hard for the team, in what was an impressive cameo given the level of opposition and his inexperience at first-team level.
|
Findley Curtis |
Vs Manchester United |
|---|---|
|
Minutes |
30 |
|
Shots on target |
1 |
|
Passes completed |
5/9 |
|
Duels won |
4/6 |
|
Tackles made |
2 |
|
Ground duel success rate |
100% (3/3) |
As you can see in the table above, the 18-year-old talent put the hard work in defensively to win the majority of his physical battles, including two tackles, and managed to test Altay Bayindir with a shot on goal.
Curtis has emerged as a senior option for Clement after a return of three goals and two assists in five Challenge Cup matches for the B team earlier this season, which illustrates the kind of impact he could have in the final third if the youngster can translate his youth team form over to the first-team.
Whilst the Scottish whiz is an exciting young talent who could develop into a serious long-term option for the manager, Rangers could land an even bigger talent than Curtis by signing one of their January targets before the window slams shut.
Rangers interested in Premiership starlet
The Light Blues are one of a number of teams reportedly interested in a deal to sign Motherwell central midfielder Lennon Miller in the January transfer window.
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Glasgow Times recently claimed that Celtic and Rangers are both admirers of the Scotland U21 international and hold an interest in him, although it did not reveal whether or not they are going to submit bids to secure his services ahead of the second half of the season.
The report stated that Motherwell value the 18-year-old talent at around £4m and it remains to be seen whether or not Rangers, or Celtic, are prepared to pay that kind of fee for the midfield star.
They are not alone in their interest in the Premiership ace, however, as Serie A side Udinese are also in the race to land his services and have already had an offer of £2.5m turned down for him this month.
With the Italian team’s firm interest in mind, Koppen and Clement should push to strike a £4m deal for Miller before the end of the window because he could be an excellent addition to the squad.
Why Rangers should sign Lennon Miller
Koppen has previously made it clear that the Gers want to lower the average age of the squad and that they want to bring in young talent that can develop and be sold on for profit in the future.
At the age of 18, Miller fits the bill and would come in as an even bigger talent than Curtis as he has already established himself as a star in the Premiership, despite only being a couple of months older than the Gers teen.
The Motherwell youngster has already racked up 63 first-team appearances and 41 outings in the Premiership in his career, whilst Curtis only made his senior bow earlier this month and is yet to start a first-team match.
Miller’s form in the current Premiership campaign also suggests that he could come in as an immediate starting-calibre option for Clement, which the current Gers youngster is not.
As you can see in the table above, the Motherwell star is a well-rounded midfield talent who can contribute plenty to the team on and off the ball.
Miller, who has been lauded as “ridiculous” by James McFadden, has offered more to his side from a creative perspective than Nicolas Raskin and Mohamed Diomande have, whilst remaining strong out of possession.
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These statistics indicate that he is more than good enough to come in, despite being just 18, and compete for a starting spot with the two current Rangers stars, which is both why he could be an exciting addition to the squad as well as being a bigger talent than his agemate Curtis.
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