Rangers bid for Jose Cifuentes has been one that has turned into a protracted saga when it seemed like a foregone conclusion at one stage.
The Light Blues midfield looked sharper and more mobile when Nicolas Raskin got introduced which is a sign of the direction Michael Beale wants to go in and the Ecuador international is cut from the same cloth.
Speaking after the friendly defeat to Newcastle United, the Rangers boss revealed that the move for Jose Cifuentes isn’t quite there yet, as reported by The Rangers Review.
“Cifuentes, again, is a player that we like.
“We’re hoping that that one is one that can be moved on.
“I think we need to bring one more midfielder in. He’s powerful, he works the corridor.
“He can play deeper or he can play as an eight and make the box as well but until he’s here, these things can take a twist and a turn.”
Why Rangers need to get Jose Cifuentes deal over the line
Michael Beale sometimes gets carried away with himself when he is excited and it’s clear that he is a massive fan of the Los Angeles FC midfielder. who Rangers are said to have agreed terms with.
It stuck out like a sore thumb when Raskin came on just how important speed of movement and thought is playing against better opposition.
Ryan Jack and John Lundstram seemed miles off the pace and were a big reason why Rangers struggled to play out from their own half in the first 20 minutes.
The qualities that the manager spoke about that Rangers fans would see if Jose Cifuentes signs are things that the pair who started just aren’t capable of.
They are still good players but their strengths don’t lie in being dynamic or dribbling the ball into space to evade a press.
It is easy to see why Cifuentes was rated as highly as £6m last summer.
For Michael Beale to talk so glowingly about a player that doesn’t play for the club is a strong indication that a deal is close.
Two players of Nicolas Raskin’s intensity and quality in midfield?
Things could be about to get very exciting for Rangers fans as the Jose Cifuentes deal gets close with an end in sight to the slow paced horizontal passing that is holding us back.
