As Rangers’ hunt for a midfielder goes on, are they missing a trick by not at least trying to interrupt a Celtic move for one of the leading young players in the country?
Motherwell midfielder David Turnbull is reportedly on the verge of a £3m move to our Old Firm rivals nearly a year on from when a deal – very publicly – collapsed.
Pictured with a Celtic kit, it looked like any deal for the midfielder was verging on completion before a knee injury was flagged in a medical.
Following surgery on the troublesome knee, Turnbull is back in the Motherwell first team and beginning to show flashes of the player which compelled Celtic to bid for him last season.
In Turnbull’s breakthrough campaign in 18/19 the midfielder hit 15 goals in the Scottish Premiership and attracted interest from across the UK.
Still only 21, he looks set to complete a move to Celtic who on paper have secured a goalscoring midfielder who knows the league and has already performed admirably for a lesser side.
Given Rangers’ much-publicised issues in the middle of the park – at least in terms of goals – many fans will feel this is the kind of signing that perhaps the Ibrox club should’ve at least considered.
Young, hungry, with an understanding of the Scottish game, Turnbull would’ve almost certainly provided an option breaking from deep in the middle of the pitch.
But there are a few things which may well have held Rangers back in their pursuit of the young Scot.
The most glaring is the knee injury – £3m is risky business for someone so young already undergoing such serious treatment – and the old Celtic deal.
Even if the Parkhead club didn’t have the first option, they flagged the knee issue, had previously all but agreed terms and there’s a clear route back into a deal after recovery.
Celtic also can’t afford to get egg on their face when it comes to penny-pinching over a top young Scottish asset after the John McGinn fiasco.
Rangers by contrast harbour bigger ambitions in this area of the pitch, with the likes of South African international Bongani Zungu and Sheffield United’s John Lundstram amongst the names mentioned.
These two players have both played at a considerably higher level than Turnbull and whilst Celtic might be willing to splash out £3m on a project player, Rangers apparently aren’t.
The Ibrox side also has Joe Aribo and Ianis Hagi as the club’s attack-minded midfielders with the Nigerian international opening up on “double-digit” goalscoring targets being set for him by Gerrard.
What Rangers need is assertiveness, dominance and positivity their hunt for a midfielder; a technically skilled energetic player with an eye for goal the style of grafter Gerrard seemingly wants.
Whilst every single team in world football is the same, that probably isn’t David Turnbull for Rangers as attractive as the player appears on paper for some.
