Glasgow Rangers’ transfer business over the previous two years under sporting director Ross Wilson has been markedly better than in the preceding five years since promotion back to the Premiership.
Steven Gerrard arrived in the summer of 2018 and it’s fair to say he more than steadied the ship.
The former Liverpool captain returned the Ibrox side to the top of the Scottish game while enjoying wonderful success in the transfer market.
Joe Aribo and Calvin Bassey joined for minimal fees before moving on for £10m and £23m respectively, the latter becoming Rangers’ record sale in the summer, proving that the club can generate lucrative transfer fees for players if they are developed correctly.
Last summer, however, Gerrard – and Wilson – made one of their greater signings in Englishman and ex-Evertonian John Lundstram, and he has gone from strength to strength over the subsequent 18 months.
How much is John Lundstram worth now?
The former Sheffield United midfielder arrived on a free transfer in the summer of 2021 as Gerrard looked to build a squad that could retain the Premiership title while qualifying for the Champions League group stages.
A topsy-turvy start by the 27-year-old at Ibrox led many to believe that despite his Premier League experience, he was perhaps too lightweight for the physicality of Scottish football.
Under Giovanni van Bronckhorst however, Lundstram blossomed into one of the club’s finest players, becoming a mainstay in the heart of the midfield, especially in the famous European run last year.
Across 14 Europa League appearances, the £22k-per-week gem averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.01/10, chipping in with two goals and 0.6 key passes per game while also showing his defensive capabilities by making 1.6 tackles and 1.7 interceptions each game while winning 3.3 duels per match – a success rate of 55%.
Rangers legend Ally McCoist declared him a “cult hero” after his form powered the side into a Europa League final and he has continued these impressive performances into this campaign, despite the Ibrox side struggling throughout the opening few months.
The Englishman has significantly improved his goalscoring ability, netting five in the first 25 league matches while taking 1.8 shots per game, yet it is his control and dominating presence in the centre of the pitch which has been the most encouraging aspect of his improvement this season.
On average, he takes 80.8 touches a match, while achieving a pass success rate of 90%, showing how effective he is at dictating the play and controlling possession.
His form has led FootballTransfers to value the player at €3.7m (£3.3m) and if he carries on like this over the next couple of seasons, it may still rise, proving that Light Blues chief Wilson has played a blinder with the midfielder.
from FootballFanCast.com https://ift.tt/cByKP9l
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