Glasgow Rangers overcame an early shock on Sunday afternoon as they trailed 1-0 at Ibrox, but the second half saw a slightly better performance as the Gers overcame Kilmarnock 4-1.
It wasn’t vintage by any stretch of the imagination, but the win means the Light Blues are still in contention for the Premiership title, although they must secure a win against their old rivals at Parkhead on Saturday.
Philippe Clement will spend the week giving his players plenty of confidence as they seek to do something for just the third time in the previous 14 years – win on enemy territory.
With just four matches of the season left, it is clear that the Belgian will be turning his eye towards the transfer market in order to potentially secure an early bargain or two, especially as this is around the time when players announce they are departing their current clubs.
With this in mind, it looks as though the Light Blues are showing interest in a defender who will be a free agent soon…
Rangers transfer news
According to the Belfast Telegraph, the Gers are one of the teams who are keen on signing boyhood fan Paddy McNair this summer.
The centre-back took to Instagram to announce that he was leaving Middlesbrough after six years on Tyneside as he seeks new pastures.
Rangers are not the only club looking to sign him on a free transfer, however, as Italian outfit Como – led by Cesc Fabregas – and Maccabi Tel Aviv are two other teams who are fighting it out to sign the 29-year-old.
He cost Boro £5m when joining them from Sunderland during the summer of 2018, but with Clement’s budget unknown at this moment in time, he may need to make a few bargain moves to begin with.
The Light Blues lured Leon Balogun from the Championship last summer on a free transfer, and it turned out to be a fairly reliable piece of business which could indicate that bringing McNair to the club may replicate this.
Leon Balogun’s statistics at Rangers
The Nigerian defender played for the Ibrox side between 2020/2022, winning both the Premiership and Scottish Cup in successive seasons while playing a part in the Gers reaching the 2022 Europa League final.
He was released by Giovanni van Bronckhorst that summer, but Michael Beale resigned him ahead of the current season as defensive cover.
Accurate passes
41.1
Total duels won
7.3
Possession lost
9.8
Interceptions
1.2
Tackles
1.4
Via Sofascore
The veteran only played twice under Beale as Connor Goldson, Ben Davies and John Souttar were preferred at the heart of the defence, but things changed when Clement took charge in mid-October.
Since then, Balogun has played 16 times across all competitions, adding the League Cup to his list of honours won while playing for the Glasgow side.
Among his teammates, the 35-year-old currently ranks highly in the squad for a number of metrics per game, including sitting sixth for accurate passes (41.1) and accurate long balls (2.6), ranking seventh for tackles (1.4) and first for interceptions (1.2), showcasing his class despite starting only 13 league matches this term.
McNair might not be the most exciting signing, but he could add some depth to the first-team squad and the acquisition of Balogun proves that free transfers from the English second tier can work out fairly well.
Paddy McNair’s stats for Boro this season
The former Manchester United defender has enjoyed his longest stay with one club during his time with Boro, making 219 appearances altogether since joining in 2018.
In three of his six campaigns, McNair has played in 41 or more Championship matches, but his appearances across the previous two seasons have dwindled slightly. Indeed, during 2022/23, he featured on 30 occasions, while this time around, the Northern Irishman has played just 21 league matches.
A few injuries have not helped his cause throughout 2023/24 and this could pose a potential problem for Clement, especially with how many of his current side are injury-prone.
After moving the 29-year-old to centre-back during the 2022/23 season, Michael Carrick lauded the defender during a friendly win over Hibs, saying:
"I thought he was terrific, probably the best player throughout the game with his passing from the back and composure on the ball. He played right side, left side and looked confident and composed on the ball which was good.”
Although he started only 20 Championship matches during the 2023/24 season, McNair won an impressive 3.7 total duels per game – a success rate of 68% – while losing possession just 8.8 times per game.
Furthermore, when compared to his teammates, the Northern Irishman has demonstrated his class, ranking fifth in the squad for accurate passes per game (51.5) in the second tier along with ranking first for accurate long balls (3.5) and fifth for clearances (1.9) per match, once again, showing how vital he was during his limited appearances on the field.
Not just content with exuding his excellent defensive abilities, McNair also proved that he could be a useful addition to the team with his forward-thinking capabilities.
Indeed, when compared to his positional peers in leagues similar to the English second tier, McNair ranks in the top 5% for progressive carries per 90 (1.51), the top 7% for successful take-ons per 90 (0.58) and in the top 11% for shot-creating actions per 90 (1.22), indicating that he is able to progress the ball up the field from the heart of the defence, something which Clement likes in his defenders.
Putting the recent injury woes to one side, could the former Old Trafford starlet be a useful addition at Ibrox ahead of next season?
With Ben Davies looking like he has no future at the club combined with Balogun’s contract expiring at the end of the season, there is certainly a requirement for another centre-back or two during the summer.
With plenty of areas to bolster across the whole squad, money that Clement does have might be used to strengthen those, meaning free transfers would be welcome.
The 6 foot 2 defender would certainly be able to add some depth into the defensive area and could prove to be a decent piece of transfer business by the Gers.