There was lots of transfer activity at Rangers over the course of the summer.
Steven Gerrard strengthened in central defence, in central midfield and also added plenty of new wingers. Many players left Ibrox too, some on loan and others on permanent deals.
Yet, the retention of one player seems to have snuck under the radar.
Was keeping Wes Foderingham Rangers’ most underrated summer success?
Heading into the summer window, it was always of paramount importance to hold onto both James Tavernier and Alfredo Morelos. They are two star turns, each key to Steven Gerrard’s plans.
Wes Foderingham is not an instrumental part of the strongest XI, but retaining his services gives the manager an important safety net.
The 28-year-old previously talked about how he sees himself as a no.1 stopper and how he wouldn’t be keen to continue to play second fiddle at Ibrox for long [Daily Record]. Therefore, it was thought by many, including the Scotsman, that he’d depart during the window.
If he had left, Rangers would either have had to dip into the market to buy a replacement or would have promoted either the untried Andy Firth or the inexperienced Robby McCrorie, who has since gone out on loan.
Retaining Foderingham, until at least January, means no extra expenditure was required. More importantly, it means there’s an experienced, quality back-up available, should something happen to Allan McGregor.
As we saw last season, the ex-Scotland star is prone to a loss of discipline and at 37, could be more susceptible to injury than in his younger days.
As a player with more than 100 league appearances for the Gers, Foderingham has proven himself well capable of dealing with the pressures that come with playing at Ibrox.
Consequently, while losing McGregor at any point would be a blow, Steven Gerrard would be safe in the knowledge that Foderingham is waiting in the wings. He’s already played three times this season and was solid on each occasion.
Holding onto the Englishman has given the manager valuable security which could come in very handy down the line. Therefore, while there hasn’t been much fanfare around it, this has to go down as a considerable summer success.
