As Rangers stretch their lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership to 13 points, for many Celtic fans their only bright light in an otherwise awful transfer window is the signing of Diego Laxalt.
The Uruguayan international full-back joined the Parkhead club on loan at the end of the summer window after a poor run of form at Italian giants AC Milan, who paid £12.7m for his services [Scotsman].
But despite the pandering to try and attach some kind of masterstroke signing to this lightweight, defensively questionable and uninfluential wing-back, Rangers made a better left-back signing this summer.
The move for former Lecieter City kid Calvin Bassey might’ve raised a few eyebrows in the early part of the season but what a signing the 20-year-old is proving to be.
With an infectiously positive personality and an eagerness to learn, Rangers have secured a technically adept footballer, a powerful presence and a potential asset for the future.
Yes, there have been times when Bassey’s immaturity has shone through defensively – Bassey was caught napping against Ross County as a cross ball evaded him and Connor Randall somehow missed.
This was similar to another moment in the 4-0 win over Dundee United where a lack of defensive concentration almost cost our near impenetrable defence a goal.
But over the piece, the full-back has been the perfect back-up option to Croatian international Borna Barisic, his enthusiasm and ability clear to see in a Rangers team bubbling with it.
Contrast that with the fortunes of Laxalt, a player routinely targeted by opposition sides and someone who is yet to prove effective in the final third for our rivals.
Laxalt, 27, might’ve scored against Hibs earlier in the campaign to rescue a point, but the fawning over this player’s performances amid a run of two wins in 12 has Celtic fans clutching at straws.
Rangers back-up Calvin Bassey is – at 20 – already a better option that this Celtic first-teamer and the form of both players is proving it.
The big defender has been a revelation since joining the club in the summer and is an asset in the making at Ibrox.
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