Connor Barron ‘completes’ Rangers’ midfield options | OneFootball

With Connor Barron on board at Rangers, how do we process this latest addition in Philippe Clement’s summer Ibrox market?

The big aspect here, as we touched on yesterday, is that aside the caveat of Dujon Sterling maybe or maybe not being earmarked as a midfielder next season, there is a young quartet in place now:

Barron, 21. Mohamed Diomande, 22. Nicolas Raskin. 23. And of course Sterling, 24.

Let’s look at what we have here in these four midfielders which appear to make up the final collection of players in that position.

Diomande:

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – FEBRUARY 24: Mohamed Diomande of Rangers celebrates after he scores the opening goal during the Cinch Scottish Premiership match between Rangers FC and Heart of Midlothian at Ibrox Stadium on February 24, 2024 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

So he’s basically a central midfielder who can help out with the defensive work. He’s actually quite strong for one who looks like the wind can blow him over, and he’s got a bit of pace. He showed some glimpses of his quality but hasn’t been overly consistent. He has a good pass, and he’s tidy. We believe this summer and preseason should see the best of him begin and he’ll finally start looking like the £4.5M signing he is soon to be announced as. He’s been very good in the cup.

Raskin:

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – OCTOBER 29: Beni Baningime of Hearts vies with Nicolas Raskin of Rangers during the Cinch Scottish Premiership match between Rangers FC and Heart of Midlothian at Ibrox Stadium on October 29, 2023 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Despite his poor press attitude of talking about wanting to leave, his final few matches of the season actually saw a big improvement in his quality and performance – despite the clumsy foul on Joe Hart, he was strong v Celtic otherwise and had a decent showcase of his attributes. Playing like that we’re happy to see him as part of our new younger midfield, but that depends on him.

Sterling:

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – MAY 25: Dujon Sterling of Rangers arrives at the stadium prior to the Scottish Cup Final match between Celtic and Rangers at Hampden Park on May 25, 2024 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

We’re going to talk about his midfield qualities, because they shone last season. Big, strong, powerful, quick, and with an acute pass, Sterling came into his own when he played in this position – we really would love to see him affirmed here, because he’s a terrific midfielder who could actually give McGregor a game.

Barron:

Rangers’ new signing Connor Barron poses with the scarf (Credit Rangers FC)

The new boy – we likened him to Thomson, Ferguson and Gerrard, but in reality he’s 60% Ferguson and 40% Thomson. He likes a tackle, to graft, to have energy in midfield and hunt opponents down, but he also slows play down to dictate like Ferguson could, and has an eye for a pass. He’s close to an all-round midfielder who can only get better – best part is the Dons and Timmy fans are all utterly raging about this signing.

These four are a genuinely healthy midfield, and going forward with a group of four strong young players in the middle isn’t a bad thing.

Lacking a leader? Experience? Yes, it is, lacking both. But that’s the angle Clement seems to be going with.

It’s bold, and we’ll see if it works next season.