With the new year comes a new transfer window and for Rangers it’s a chance to perform surgery on a squad that again must undergo significant changes after another lacklustre season.
During the summer transfer window it was Pedro Caixinha’s remit to improve the squad and inspire the side to the kind of results that allows them to compete at the top of the Scottish Premiership and for the domestic cup competitions.
However, the Portuguese failed to win over supporters and after a series of debilitating results, the club have turned to former U20s coach Graeme Murty until the end of the season at least.
The club confirmed he will have a say in their January recruitment and working with Director of Football Mark Allen, the club must not only attract the right calibre of player to Rangers, but also decide which players to move on, even if it means cutting short their careers in Glasgow after only a few months.
These are THREE players Rangers should be looking to sell this January…
Carlos Pena
Carlos Pena’s move to Rangers simply hasn’t worked out in the way the player, the club or supporters wanted it to when he made the switch from Guadalajara last summer.
One of Pedro Caixinha’s marquee signings, his career at Ibrox never really got off the ground, initially severely struggling to reach match fitness and then failing to win a regular place either in the Portuguese’s first or Graeme Murty’s.
The Mexican has only made six starts in the Scottish Premiership since joining and while he’s popped up with some crowd pleasing goals, he isn’t offering enough to justify his wages or his place at the Light Blues.
If Rangers sell him this January, they can at least recoup some of the money paid for him during the last transfer window and it’s not as if he is going to increase in value sitting on the bench in the second half of the season.
Doing that can allow them focus limited resources elsewhere and bring players to the club that are going to work hard for their place in the team.
Bruno Alves
Bruno Alves is a big name and has won more trophies than any other player in Scotland, so when he arrived at Ibrox in the summer it justifiably got supporters pretty excited indeed.
When he signed he was less than a year out from winning the European Championships with Portugal and still considered to be a quality centre-back at the elite level, the kind of signing that might have allowed Rangers to progress not just in Scottish football, but on the continent too.
However, injuries and a lack of form have contributed to an underwhelming time in Rangers colours, with the veteran defender failing to live up to his illustrious pedigree or justify his likely high earnings at the club.
He’s missed over a third of Rangers’ matches this season and when he has been fit an available has helped contributed to only four clean sheets in the Scottish Premiership. At times he’s even been outshone by rookie defenders David Bates and Ross McCrorie.
Another knock picked up against Celtic in the new year derby means he is again on the sidelines and it’s becoming difficult to justify his presence at the club.
Moving him on would allow Graeme Murty to focus on Rangers’ emerging defensive talents and also free up room on the wage bill to either bring in a defender who can consistently perform or divert resources to another position.
Eduardo Herrera
Of Pedro Caixinha’s multiple summer signings, few have contributed less in Rangers colours than Mexican striker Eduardo Herrera.
He may have a decade of experience in his home land and international caps for his country but at Ibrox he’s been a massive flop, scoring just once in the Scottish Premiership this season in 19 appearances, a goal which came way back in August.
While most of his appearances have admittedly come from the bench, he’s failed to show much at all and it’s time to cut short his career in Glasgow, even if it means making a loss on the transfer fee paid for him last summer.
Rangers need a player who can complement Alfredo Morelos, ideally someone who has a proven track record of finding the net in Scottish football.
Another half season of Herrera will only further frustrate supporters.
