Rangers can sign a ‘very technically skilled’ player in bargain January deal.
Gijs Smal is a “excellent” and “very technically skilled left-back” that Rangers might acquire; the Eredivisie star is apparently Philippe Clement’s team’s top target this month.
Wait until you witness Gijs Smal in action if you believed Borna Barisic was capable of delivering a cross.
Nobody recorded more Eredivisie assists in 2022–2023 than the beautiful left-back from Twente, with a total of 10. And if Smal were to give up and move from the Netherlands to Glasgow this month, Rangers may grab themselves a real gem.
After all, the Dutchman will be available for free in July.
Rangers linked with Gijs Smal swoop
Reporter Leon ten Voorde, an expert in all things Twente for the Eredivisie, is unconcerned about Smal’s ability. According to Football Critic, the late-blooming 26-year-old generated the most “big chances” of any full-back last season, ranking sixth in the division.
To his astonishment, though, Smal’s outstanding play the previous season did not result in a transfer. Ten Voorde is also skeptical about the availability of chances in 2024. Among teams higher up the football food chain, anyway.
Leon ten Voorde says De Ballen Verstand, “I think Smal thought he would get away in the summer, but there was almost no interest in him.”
“On the one hand, that is very striking, because he is an excellent player in the Eredivisie. He provided ten assists last year. Then, you should be able to (get a move) away with a one-year contract at FC Twente. But that somehow didn’t work out.
The Daily Record, however, is quick to point out that Smal is unlikely to be Rangers’ first choice. Philippe Clement’s side has lodged an enquiry for Liverpool’s Owen Beck and reportedly see Smal as a “alternative” to Hellas Verona’s former Hibernian flyer Josh Doig. “He was also injured in August and that of course also played a role.”
Most assists in the Eredivisie
Ten Voorde, meanwhile, cannot envisage clubs in some of Europe’s more high-profile leagues making a move any time soon.
“Smal is a good player. But, with all due respect, do you see him playing in the Bundesliga?” the reporter adds. “With his physicality and all, I don’t think so. The (English) Premier League? We don’t even have to talk about that.
He is a really proficient left-back technically. However, there are 140 Gijs Smals in Spain.
Of course, Scotland has far fewer full-backs of his calibre, but as things stand, Rangers seem to have their sights set on other, higher-priority targets.
Meanwhile, Arnold Bruggink, the director of Twente, announced today that Smal has received an offer for a new deal at the Stadion Galgenwaard.
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