Gijs Smal’s poor form at FC Twente is doing little to suggest that Rangers should have brought the out-of-sorts Dutchman to the Scottish Premiership during the winter window.
When the left-back was linked with a move to Ibrox over a month ago, he was still riding the wave of an exceptional 2022/23 campaign. No one in the entire of the Eredivisie mustered more than Gijs Smal’s 10 assists, after all.
At the time, Ridvan Yilmaz looked destined to depart too, the Turkey international seemingly free to leave after struggling to oust Borna Barisic at Ibrox. Flash forward to late-February, and quite a lot has changed, for both players.
Yilmaz has been one of Rangers’ most-improved players since the post-Christmas break. So much so that Barisic’s re-call for Sunday’s 3-0 win at St Johnstone – Philippe Clement shuffling his pack in an attempt to avoid burn-out – came as quite a surprise.
There were far fewer shocked faces in Enschede, however, when Gijs Smal was dragged off after just 65 minutes during FC Twente’s insipid 1-0 home defeat to Utrecht.
Gijs Smal struggling to justify Rangers interest
After producing 14 goals or assists last term, Smal is yet to score or set up even one in 2023/24.
And while it should be said that he did miss the first portion of the season with a calf injury, Smal has been back in first-team action now for four months. A lack of match fitness can no longer be used as an excuse, with the Twente Inside site describing his current form as ‘poor’.
For Leon ten Voorde, the Dutch reporter who specialises in all things FC Twente, the once-£6 million-rated Smal is now facing up to the prospect of being shunted out of De Grolsch Veste for nothing, his contract expiring and the Dutchman doing little to justify an offer of fresh terms.
“Smal deserves a lot of credit after his injury,” Ten Voorde tells TC Tubantia. “But if you don’t want to re-sign, if you’re just not performing, and if another left-back was brought in during the winter break, you have to watch your step.”
Smal now faces competition from Anass Salah-Eddine. He too was linked with Rangers before leaving Ajax for Twente in January.
“If you don’t want to re-sign and you are not performing, you can think; ‘Maybe we should be definitely looking at someone else,” Ten Voorde adds.
A Borna Barisic replacement is still needed
Rangers are likely to be in hte market for a new left-back again in the summer, with Barisic’s own contract also expiring in July. All the signs, at the moment, point to Philippe Clement’s side making another attempt to lure Jefte Vital to Glasgow from Fluminense.
If Smal is to challenge Jefte for the position of Rangers’ first-choice left-back target, it almost goes without saying that more displays like the one he produced against Utrecht would do his chances few favours.
