The news broke yesterday that a reported Rangers target, Jake Cooper, had signed a new long-term contract at Millwall.
That may have been pretty disappointing for some Gers fans.
At 6ft 6′, Cooper offers a massive physical presence at the back. He’s pretty useful in the opposition’s area too, notching three goals and a league-topping six assists in the Championship this season.
However, a potentially better, more economical option is much closer to home: Livingston’s club captain, Craig Halkett.
The 23-year-old spent his youth career with the Gers, but never made a senior league appearance. After loan spells at Clyde and Berwick Rangers, he joined Livi in 2016.
Now the club captain, he steered the Lions to promotion and is now leading a charge in the SPL.
Last night, he scored a penalty and helped to secure a clean sheet, in a 5-0 mauling of Hearts.
Under Gary Holt, Livi have built a reputation for being tough to break down, shutting out both Rangers and Celtic at the Tony Macaroni Arena. All in all, they’ve accumulated an impressive nine clean sheets in the league.
At the heart of a back three, Halkett is the major contributor to that solidity.
Transfermarkt currently value the 23-year-old at £350k, and as such, he is much less expensive than option than Cooper may have been.
A boyhood Bear, it may not take much to convince Halkett to give it another shot at Ibrox.
Reinforcements in forward areas should remain the priority. However, if Rangers are in the hunt for another centre-half next month, they should look no further than this man.
