Honest to say, Rangers boss Philippe Clement has loads of work to do within the January switch window.
Forward of the New 12 months’s Outdated Agency derby developing at Ibrox on Thursday afternoon, the Gers are a whopping 14 factors adrift run away league leaders and fierce rivals Celtic.
The last-gasp defeat at St Mirren on Boxing Day, adopted by a 2-2 draw at Motherwell three days later, has cranked up the stress on Clement, therefore why he’ll be seeking to recruit reinforcements this month.
Rangers serious about new midfielder
Based on a report by reporter Ižak Ante Sučić for Germanijak, Rangers, in addition to Membership Brugge and AZ Alkmaar, are serious about signing Varaždin midfielder Leon Belcar.
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They add that the 22-year-old is contracted to the Croatian membership till 2026, however that they plan to “make some huge cash on him”.
Varaždin president Dražen Vitez claims he’s but to obtain any official bids for Belcar, solely keen to promote his most-prized asset for in extra of €700,000 (round £580,000), with Karlo Lusavec’s move to Danish outfit Horsens getting used as a benchmark.
So who’s Belcar, and the way would he match into Rangers’ group?
The place Leon Belcar would slot in at Rangers
Belcar is a 22-year-old defensive midfielder, working on the base of Varaždin’s back-line, starting all but one of their HNL matches this season, the one one he is missed being because of a suspension.
Regardless of his defensive instincts, Belcar has scored three objectives throughout this marketing campaign up to now, most-recently firing dwelling from the sting of the world throughout a 2-1 victory over Šibenik in late November.
At worldwide stage, he is earned six caps for Croatia’s U21s, though he will not be including to that tally, provided that the Mladi Vatreni have been heartbreakingly overwhelmed by Georgia on penalties, thereby lacking out on a spot at this summer time’s U21 Euros in Slovakia.
As a substitute, may Belcar spend 2025 acclimatising to life in Glasgow? Let’s have a look at how he compares to Rangers’ two most-used central midfielders.
|
Leon Belcar vs Raskin & Diomande in 24/25 |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Statistic |
Leon Belcar |
Nicolas Raskin |
Mohamed Diomandé |
|
Minutes |
1,352 |
1,028 |
1,091 |
|
Appearances |
17 |
15 |
16 |
|
Interceptions per 90 |
1.1 |
0.5 |
0.5 |
|
Tackles per 90 |
1.4 |
3.3 |
1 |
|
% of duals received |
58.2% |
65.5% |
54.2% |
|
Fouls per 90 |
0.9 |
1.5 |
1 |
|
Common score |
7.04 |
7.33 |
6.99 |
As outlined above, Nicolas Raskin comes out on prime for a lot of the metrics included, however that shouldn’t be too stunning given his glorious kind this season, with former Rangers defender Alan Hutton describing the Belgian as “sensible”, including that he needs to be the primary identify on the teamsheet in midfield.
Nevertheless, Belcar does evaluate favourably to Mohamed Diomandé, who’s made 28 appearances throughout all competitions to date, together with beginning seven of the eight Champions League or Europa League matches.
However that is precisely why Belcar – whose numbers are nonetheless “actually spectacular” in the eyes of Scottish football content creator Kai Watson – can be successful. He is a distinct fashion of midfielder; Raskin excels out of possession, whereas the younger Croat is at his finest on the ball.
Rangers do have considerably latest historical past in the case of signing expertise from the Croatian top-flight, with combined success.
Following a Europa League qualifying victory over Osijek in 2018, Steven Gerrard was so impressed with what he saw he signed two of the White and Blues’ gamers.
Eros Grezda’s 17-game stint at Ibrox was, at finest, unmemorable, however the other member of this double-deal was Borna Barišić, who would make 236 appearances for the Gers, turning into a cult hero, a key determine as they received the Premiership title in 2021 after which reached the Europa League Ultimate the next season.
That very same summer time seven years in the past, Nikola Katić joined from Slaven Belupo Koprivnica and, whereas he was removed from a serious success, his headed winner at Parkhead in December 2019 means he won’t ever be forgotten.
Thus, Belcar may grow to be the newest Croatian to make his mark in Govan.
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