Following an assessment of marauding left-back Borna Barisic, next up in our series of Rangers Half-Term Reports is silky smooth midfielder, Glen Kamara.
After an excellent few months at the back end of last season following his £50,000 transfer from Dundee, Kamara experienced a bit of a dip at the beginning of the 2019/20 campaign.
It wasn’t anything drastic, but he looked slightly sluggish and was prone to being caught in possession. Perhaps it was a natural lull after the highs of becoming an instant fan favourite at Ibrox.
However, as we moved through the opening stages of the season into October and beyond, a more polished Kamara came to the fore once again.
It’s clear the 24-year-old has the full trust of Steven Gerrard and he was included for pretty much every big game over the first half of the campaign.
One goal and no assists speak of a central midfielder who is limited in an attacking sense, especially when you factor in that the solitary goal, scored against Livingston in the League Cup, only went in because of a big deflection.
Often, when he finds himself in advanced positions, he will just take the easy option and roll it to one of the full-backs, instead of providing something incisive.
Yet, the offensive side of things isn’t really what the Finland international is all about. Kamara shields the back four, breaks up opposition moves and links the play well.
Perhaps his most impressive attribute is the way he uses his body when on the ball. Bears will fondly remember him sending Scott Brown to the Ibrox turf with a swift turn in an Old Firm win last May, and many more of those clever feints have been on display this season.
The Gers midfielder has a knack of emerging from tight spots with the ball still at his feet and of getting his pass away just in time. His composure in that area of the pitch has a strong influence on how the team plays.
His class has shone through on big occasions, such as the trips to Porto and Feyenoord and his strong displays haven’t gone unnoticed. The Daily Mail reports that multiple Premier League teams are interested in his signature, and it’s easy to see why.
After a slow start to the campaign, as the stakes have got higher, Kamara’s performance levels have risen and he deserves all the attention he’s currently getting.