Michael Beale will have spent the previous two weeks since his appointment as Glasgow Rangers manager looking ahead to the January transfer window.
No doubt about it, the Ibrox side needs some rejuvenation in their squad, with a few players managing to feed off Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s undying loyalty, yet sometimes in sport, loyalty can be dangerous.
Beale will hopefully move past keeping players at Ibrox for sentimental reasons and look upon improving the first-team squad. Across all competitions this season, the club have conceded 41 goals, and the 42-year-old will be looking at bolstering his defensive options during the new year.
Hibernian defender Ryan Porteous has refused to sign a new contract and journalist Alan Nixon has “heard” about possible Rangers’ interest in the player heading into January.
On the surface, it doesn’t appear to be a move that would go down well, especially considering his previous history with Rangers and the controversy he has caused in previous meetings, notably making a horror challenge on Lassana Coulibaly back in 2018.
From a footballing perspective, however, he could be a promising signing who would not only increase the club’s homegrown quota for European matches but also form a formidable duo with Connor Goldson.
The Englishman has been a titan at the heart of the Rangers defence since arriving in the summer of 2018 and missed just three games due to injury or illness in four seasons. An injury sustained this term is expected to rule him out for 19 matches, but he is due to return sooner rather than later.
Porteous has averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.29 this season, chipping in with two goals also and taking on average, 82 touches per match, suggesting he constantly wants to be involved in the action and is comfortable playing the ball out from the back.
His physicality is a key strength, winning 68% of his total duels this season while averaging 1.3 tackles and 3.6 clearances per match in the Premiership.
Former Hibs manager Jack Ross claimed that Porteous had “brilliant” leadership qualities and this could also stand him in good stead if he moved on to a club like Rangers.
A move to the Glasgow side could help him take the next step in his development, and by playing alongside a defender in the stature of Goldson, he will only improve as time goes on, while creating an excellent defensive duo.
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