When Philippe Clement spoke after the Scottish Premiership opening day draw with Hearts, the Rangers manager made a telling midfield comment.
In the aftermath of the disappointing 0-0 draw at Tynecastle, Clement frustrated fans by once again referring to the summer of exit of John Lundstram.
Whilst it’s clear the Belgian manager wanted Lundstram to stick around, fans are getting pretty sick and tired of these constant references to the now Trabzonspor midfielder.
“You miss a really important part with (John) Lundstram there to lead the team out of the midfield,” said Clement, as Rangers once again lost ground to Celtic on the Premiership’s opening weekend.
But whilst it’s about time Philippe Clement’s constant referencing to Lundstram’s 52-games last season comes to an end, the wider point does stand.
Rangers lack an experienced midfielder who can control the tempo of matches and act as the heartbeat of the XI.
As Rangers continue to scour the transfer market and Nils Koppen jets out to TransferRoom in Madrid, there is one midfield option that could be – quite literally – under the club’s nose.
John Fleck opens Ibrox door
There was a moment when John Fleck was the Murray Park golden child.
After years of failure when it came to producing our own talent, a tradition which we appear to have fervently clung to, back in 2007 the now 32-year-old was labelled the Scottish Wayne Rooney.
A clever midfielder who had the ability to go past players and add numbers, the legendary Walter Smith bled John Fleck but the events of 2012 saw the midfielder, like so many, leave Ibrox.
After years plying his trade with Coventry City and then Sheffield United, latterly in the Premier League, Flecky spent the second half of last season with Blackburn Rovers.
Now the midfielder finds himself as a free agent back at the Rangers Training Centre.
Training with the Gers as he builds his pre-season fitness and hopes to find another club, Fleck has suggested he has ‘unfinished business’ at Ibrox.
“Do I have unfinished business with the club? That’s not for me to say,” Fleck told the Daily Record.
“My aim now is carve out something special in my career and there are options, I have offers in Europe and England and I now need to find the right club to kick things on.
“I’ve always said it would be a dream of mine to come back to Rangers and nothing changes in that regard.
“I said that If that chance came further down the line to come back then I’d love it to be honest. Who wouldn’t. This is Glasgow Rangers we are talking about, a club which is engrained in my heart.”
Later Fleck added: “Rangers are a special club and when I left in 2012 it broke my heart, but I needed to get away to prove myself away from Glasgow and that’s what I’ve done and I’m proud of all that I’ve achieved but I still have plenty more to do.”
It’s not the first time Fleck has released a come-and-get-me plea to Rangers either.
Rangers need midfield reinforcements and John Fleck – who was linked to Arsenal in his Sheffield United heyday – represents a solid option.
Also a homegrown player having come through at Ibrox, the midfielder would be a boost to both the domestic and European squads and he’s available on a free.
We’re not sure about the finances surrounding any deal but on a short-term contract which adds much needed experience to our ranks, we’re definitely not against it.
But the problem, as is so often the case with Rangers, is the player’s recent injury history which makes for grim reading.
A devastating shin injury meant that Fleck made only one Championship appearance for Blackburn (in February) before being released this summer.
Rangers want new ‘number six’
There have been transfer links to a number of midfielders for Rangers already this summer.
We are looking for a composed, quality number six to come in and allow the likes of Connor Barron and Mohamed Diomande to flourish alongside them.
Marco van Ginkel – former Chelsea midfielder and Dutch internationalist – is the latest name on the grapevine.
Kenny McLean ruled out a switch, whilst Rangers eventually bailed in their pursuit of Joan Jordan.
The problem is, it’s a position that everyone in football is trying to fill.
What Rangers are looking for is the right combination of experience, technical quality and availability to take up that crucial role in Clement’s starting XI.
