Rangers lining up move for “sensational” star

Rangers lining up move for “sensational” star


Glasgow Rangers head coach Philippe Clement has bought himself time to turn things around at Ibrox after a strong run of form for the team in recent weeks.

Despite losing, the Ibrox giants showed plenty of quality and fight in their defeat against Celtic in the League Cup final on Sunday, losing on penalties after a 3-3 draw in regulation time.

The Light Blues also came into that match off the back of a 1-1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League, and recently smashed Nice 4-1 in France.

Football Insider reported after Sunday’s loss that the team’s improved performances in recent weeks have bought the manager more time from the board, despite there still being a huge gap to Celtic in the Scottish Premiership.

The Gers are 11 points behind their Glasgow rivals in the top-flight and will need a huge swing in the second half of the season to end up with the title.

Clement and Nils Koppen could, though, use the upcoming January transfer window to make further additions to the squad, in the hope of winning some silverware in 2025.

Rangers interested in Premier League maestro

According to Caught Offside, Rangers are one of a number of British clubs lining up a move for out-of-favour Chelsea midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

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The report claims that Premier League giants Arsenal are currently the favourites to land the English maestro when the January transfer window officially opens for business next month.

It states that the Blues already view him as being surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge, despite only joining them from Leicester City at the end of the 2023/24 campaign.

Dewsbury-Hall-Chelsea-Conference-League

CaughtOffside adds that there are a host of other clubs in the running to land his signature next month, though, as Leicester City, Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa, Newcastle United, Brighton & Hove Albion, Brentford and Manchester United are all keeping tabs on his situation.

The outlet does not reveal, however, whether or not Dewsbury-Hall is open to leaving Chelsea, or if he would be willing to make the move up to Glasgow to play for Rangers in the second half of the season.

Koppen and Clement, though, must push to win the race for his services, potentially by convincing the player with the prospect of Europa League football, as he could come in as an excellent addition to the squad.

kiernan dewsbury-hall

Dewsbury-Hall, a left-footed attacking midfielder, could arrive at Ibrox as the Belgian head coach’s own version of former Celtic star Matt O’Riley, who played a key role in Rangers missing out on the Scottish Premiership title in the 2023/24 campaign.

Matt O’Riley’s form for Celtic last season

The Denmark international was the star of the show for Brendan Rodgers at Parkhead, with his quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals from midfield helping them to win the division.

O’Riley is a left-footed attacking midfielder, who can also play in a central midfield role, and earned himself a £25m move to Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion in the summer.

The Seagulls swooped to sign the former MK Dons and Fulham man ahead of the 2024/25 campaign because of his outstanding performances in the Premiership for Celtic in the middle of the park last season.

23/24 Premiership

Matt O’Riley

Squad rank

Sofascore rating

7.91

1st

Goals

18

1st

Assists

13

1st

Big chances created

14

1st

Key passes per game

2.5

1st

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, O’Riley was the club’s biggest contributor when it came to scoring goals, creating chances, and assisting his teammates in the top-flight.

The 24-year-old magician also started the current campaign with a whopping eight key passes in two Premiership outings before his move to Brighton was finalised.

matt-oriley-celtic-premiership

Celtic won the league by eight points last term and his 31 goal contributions helped them to do so, as he consistently delivered quality in the final third from a midfield position for Rodgers.

Clement does not have a midfielder at the club with similar attacking qualities but the signing of Dewsbury-Hall from Chelsea in January could ensure that he finally has his own version of O’Riley at Ibrox.

Why Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall could be Clement’s Matt O’Riley

Firstly, no Rangers central or attacking midfielder ended the 2023/24 Premiership campaign with more than seven goals or five assists, which illustrates how much more effective O’Riley was in comparison to the stars at Ibrox.

Dewsbury-Hall has not started any of his five appearances in the Premier League for Chelsea this season, but has started regularly in the Conference League for the Blues.

Chelsea-Dewsbury-Hall

He has contributed with one goal and three ‘big chances’ created in four starts in Europe, which shows that he is a midfielder who can step up to make things happen at the top end of the pitch.

However, it is his form from his time with Leicester that truly shows why the left-footed midfield maestro could come in as Rangers’ own version of O’Riley in the second half of this season.

The Chelsea midfielder, who was once described as “sensational” by Rodgers – now the Celtic boss, caught the eye with his exceptional performances in the middle of the park in the Championship last season.

23/24 Championship

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall

Appearances

44

Goals

12

Big chances created

20

Key passes per game

2.5

Assists

14

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Dewsbury-Hall offered a consistent threat at the top end of the pitch with his contributuions as both a scorer and a creator of goals for the Foxes.

He created six more ‘big chances’ and assisted one more goal than O’Riley managed in the Premiership last season, which speaks to the outstanding level of creativity that the English whiz could bring to Ibrox.

Like the Danish dynamo, the Chelsea outcast could be a match-winner for Rangers by popping up with goals and assists week-in-week-out to win vital points for the team, which is why the Gers must push to land him ahead of their rivals in the January window.

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