Rangers: Xavi Simons could finally correct a big Ibrox mistake | OneFootball

Giovanni van Bronckhorst hasn’t felt the need to do a great deal of transfer business during his first window in charge of Rangers at Ibrox.

The Gers have been happy to sit back and admire from afar with James Sands the only player to arrive over the winter so far.

However, with Nathan Patterson packing his bags and heading north of the border, becoming the latest in a long line of Scottish-based players to do so, it has left a hole to fill on the right-hand side of defence.

Speaking of football across the border, there is another player now earning his money in England that Rangers could do with finding a replacement for.

Now, the Scotland international never made an appearance for the Gers first-team before being snapped up the Londoners but there is very much a sense that he could have been a mainstay at Ibrox for a considerable period of time.

Would Xavi Simons be a good signing?

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Just 20 years of age, it wasn’t a great advertisement for the club’s academy that he was able to be swallowed up so easily by a Premier League side.

Yet, it has ultimately benefitted Scottish football with the youngster now a key part of the national team set-up and a regular in the top division in world football.

Capable of playing as a holding player or slightly further forward in a midfield two, he is one of the most exciting young central players around.

It was certainly a mistake to watch him slip through their grasp so easily but the Gers could correct that by signing a certain Xavi Simons in 2022.

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The Dutch gem, who clearly has ties to van Bronckhorst given his nationality, has been linked with a loan move this January and with the PSG teenager out of contract at the end of the season, there is a very real possibility that he could sign permanent terms with Rangers after a potentially successful loan spell come the summer.

That seems far-fetched at the moment but the exciting 18-year-old possesses a similar level of potential to Gilmour.

Simons is also capable of playing deeper in midfield but what sets him apart from the former Rangers academy star is his ability to feature in the number 10 role, on the wing and even as the central striker.

Blessed with plenty of guile and finesse, the former Barcelona youngster has been superb this season.

He’s made a first-team breakthrough at PSG and has been described as “phenomenal” by talent scout Jacek Kulig for his display in the UEFA Youth League where he has bagged three goals and claimed six assists in just nine outings.

He has, meanwhile, been compared to the likes of Andres Iniesta and Xavi in his short career so far and has widely been tipped for the top.

His personal trainer in France, Jonathan Mengeli once stated that the teenager “has everything to evolve at the highest level.”

With that in mind, he’d certainly be an eye-catching signing for Rangers and considering his remarkable talent, he could be the best young player Gers supporters have seen in Glasgow since Gilmour.