When the January transfer window rolls around, Bears have been told to expect departures from Ibrox [Rangers.co.uk].
After three windows of rampant recruitment, new Sporting Director, Ross Wilson, has arrived and is tasked with trimming down what is currently a very large squad.
We’ve already picked out a central midfielder and a wide player who could be on their way out this winter, but what about Matt Polster?
Rangers fringe man Polster a potential January departee?
Since joining on a two-and-a-half-year deal 10 months ago, Matt Polster has made just four appearances for Rangers.
One of those came at the back end of the 2018/19 season, as a substitute at Hearts.
This campaign, we’ve seen him on three further occasions, as a starter against St Joseph’s and East Fife, and as a second-half substitute against Hamilton.
Each outing was either against very weak opposition or in a fixture that was already won before he was introduced.
That suggests that he’s very much down the pecking order at the club and that Steven Gerrard doesn’t fully trust the 26-year-old.
Right now, he’s behind the captain, James Tavernier, and Jon Flanagan, in terms of the right-back rankings. In addition, coming through the Academy, there’s Jordan Houston, who is currently on loan at Ayr United, and Nathan Patterson, who has been backed to make it to the top by Graeme Murty.
Polster’s versatility has been mentioned in the past, but if he’s unlikely to get a look in at right-back, he certainly won’t be getting many opportunities in midfield. Premier League-winning international Andy King can’t get a look in at the minute, so Polster doesn’t stand a chance.
You could argue that a serious injury to either Tav or Flanagan would see him promoted to the bench and that therefore, letting him leave in January would be an unnecessary risk.
Yet, that didn’t play out in reality when Flanagan missed an extended period following a hernia operation. Over that time, Polster made just two of seven squads in the Premiership and hasn’t made the cut for any Europa League group stage matches to date [Transfermarkt].
He’s rated at £540k by Transfermarkt, but given his lack of playing time, it’s hard to see how the Gers could demand a decent fee from a sale.
Therefore, perhaps a loan move to another Scottish club, or to the EFL, would be best.
That way, he would have six months to prove himself in British football ahead of the summer window when the Ibrox hierarchy could then make a more informed decision on his future.
The current situation simply isn’t benefitting anyone, and as he reaches what should be the peak years of his career, Polster should be playing football, rather than waiting in the wings for opportunities that are unlikely to materialise.
