Reported Rangers target Billy Gilmour may regret not moving to Ibrox in January after his latest blow at Premier League club Chelsea.
Gilmour began his career at the Gers’ Academy and was sold to Chelsea for an initial fee in the region of £2m in 2017 [Sunday Post].
The teenager burst onto the scene at Stamford Bridge last season with a series of impressive performances but injury and strong competition for places have ensured he’s barely featured during this campaign.
Rangers were linked with loan interest in Gilmour in December and while the report was initially dismissed by Steven Gerrard as merely a rumour [RangersTV], links resurfaced at the back end of the winter transfer window when it was suggested that both the player and Chelsea were considering a loan [The Athletic].
No move materialised in the end, with Thomas Tuchel insisting that Gilmour was needed with the first-team [The Sun].
However, since the window slammed shut, the Scotland youth international has only made one senior appearance, against Barnsley in the FA Cup.
He’s been overlooked for several Premier League matchday squads and then, on Monday night, he turned out for the U23s in a Premier League 2 clash against Leicester City.
Gilmour clearly isn’t an integral part of Tuchel’s plans right now and he may well be regretting not pushing harder for a temporary return to Glasgow.
Steven Gerrard is relatively light on options in the middle of the park with Ryan Jack out injured and the struggling Bongani Zungu in line for an SFA ban after breaching Covid regulations.
Therefore, the 19-year-old would have had a good chance of regular playing time at Ibrox as the Gers look to secure the league title and push deep into the Europa League.
Instead, he is behind Mateo Kovacic, N’Golo Kante and Jorginho in the pecking order at Stamford Bridge and looks set to be watching on from the sidelines for the foreseeable future.
Rangers are currently missing several key players due to injury, and have been dealt another blow ahead of Wednesday’s Premiership fixture against Livingston.
