Glasgow Rangers have already made some serious moves in the transfer market as they try to close the gap on Celtic and it appears they are about to steal a march on their closest rivals…
What’s the word?
According to TEAMtalk, the Old Firm giants have expressed their interest in midfielder Tom Ince, although they face competition from Premier League side West Bromwich Albion.
Ince hasn’t featured for Stoke City at all so far this season and it seems the Potters boss Michael O’Neill has told him he is surplus to requirements.
As it stands both Jacob Brown and Tommy Smith are ahead of the former England U21 international in the pecking order and it appears as though he will be allowed to leave on loan.
It remains to be seen how much it will cost to prise Ince away from the bet365 Stadium on a permanent basis with the 28-year-old valued at £4m on Transfermarkt, a dramatic decrease on his valuation the previous year, which came to around about £9m.
Bye-Bye Hagi?
But who would be the better option on the right-hand side – the young prospect Ianis Hagi or the former Liverpool man?
It’s no secret that Gerrard desperately needs a midfield player who can chip in with goals – Alfredo Morelos scored 12 goals himself in the Scottish Premiership last season, while Hagi has only scored once so far.
In fact, it could be argued that Hagi has failed to hit the same heights he enjoyed during his loan spell last season.
Ince is no longer the first choice for his club which should give the Gers some encouragement. Over the course of his career, he has barely been injured at all which speaks volumes as Jordan Jones has only recently recovered from an injury problem.
While it is fair to say his time at the bet365 Stadium hasn’t been the most exciting, he has still managed to score or assist 20 goals in 81 games for Stoke.
Perhaps all he really needs is a change of scenery to rediscover the form that saw him win the 2013 Football League Young Player Of The Year award.
His old boss Ian Holloway once claimed that he is a “fantastic” player – surely a mere £4m is worth the risk?
Rangers interim chairman Douglas Park should submit a bid for Ince before it is too late, especially as Celtic are closely monitoring the situation.
AND in other news, Defoe and Hagi start, no Cedric Itten: Predicted Rangers XI vs Galatasaray…
