3 minute read
29/4/2022 | 06:06pm
Gio van Bronckhorst was dealt a blow to his hopes of securing a major trophy for Rangers as his side lost 1-0 in their Europa League clash on Thursday.
The Gers now head into the second leg with a deficit to overturn and they remain six points behind their Glasgow arch-rivals in the Premiership table.
However, they are in the final of the Scottish Cup and are still in with a chance of winning three trophies in total before the end of the season.
Irrespective of how this campaign ends, Ross Wilson will surely be hard at work to improve Van Bronckhorst’s squad in the summer in an attempt to make sure that they are not trailing Celtic by so much in the title race next term.
In the January transfer window, the Gers were linked with a swoop for Ludogoret’s attacker Kiril Despodov, alongside Galatasaray and Olympiacos, and he is a player in whom the Ibrox sporting director must reignite his interest.
Will Rangers win a trophy this season?
yes
vote
No
vote
The 25-year-old has been in sublime form this season, with 10 goals and 18 assists in all competitions for his club, and he could be a fantastic signing for Rangers. Racking up 28 direct goal contributions is an incredible achievement by the flier, and it shows that he could solve a key issue for the Light Blues.
In the Premiership this season, no Gers winger has more than eight goals or seven assists. This suggests that Van Bronckhorst needs more firepower and creativity in the wide areas next season, and Despodov’s statistics suggest that he would be able to provide exactly that.
Journalist Josh Bunting hailed him as “really impressive” for Bulgaria against Croatia during the most recent international break, claiming that the 25-year-old was “making the pitch as wide as possible and driving at the full-backs”. He scored his country’s goal in that 2-1 defeat, with Rangers’ Borna Barisic playing for Croatia, before he was sent off for two bookable offenses.
In seven World Cup 2022 qualifiers, Despodov scored two goals and provided two assists whilst creating three ‘big chances’ for his teammates. He has been able to stand out at international level, to go along with his domestic form, which suggests that he could adapt to playing in Scotland, having already scored against a team with Barisic in it.
Therefore, Wilson must now attempt to snap up the winger at the end of this season, as the player has the potential to be an excellent and much-needed addition to the Rangers squad after proving himself for Ludogorets and Bulgaria.
AND in other news, Fewer touches than McGregor: Rangers dud who lost possession 15 times let GvB down badly v Leipzig…
