Michael Beale was linked with several central defenders last summer but only Leon Balogun arrived.
The big Nigerian is a popular figure within Auchenhowie and amongst the Ibrox faithful, however, he was hardly the upgrade to the squad that had been expected.
One player who seemed to fit the player trading model profile better was Dion Sanderson with and update now adding a new claim to Rangers interest.
Dion Sanderson back on Rangers radar
The 24-year old is capable of playing in the middle or on the right-hand side of the defence.
Having been at Wolverhampton Wanderers, Sanderson impressed whilst out on loan at city rivals Birmingham City and sealed a permanent deal for a fee in the region of £2m.
Speaking at the time, Beale hinted that it wasn’t Sanderson who Rangers had missed out on:
“We went a long way down the road for a left-sided centre-back earlier in the window to provide competition for Ben Davies.
“We were priced out by a Premier League club who paid more than we were willing to pay.
“That was the board and me. We thought the fee paid was outside the value of that player.”
According to The Daily Record though, this hasn’t deterred Rangers recruitment team.
They claim that Sanderson ‘remains a person of interest where the Ibrox club is concerned’.
Ben Davies will be expected to leave Rangers in the summer given how little he has played in recent months.
Leon Balogun will be 36 next season and won’t be any more resistant to injury as Father TIme catches up.
There has also been speculation linking Connor Goldson with a move away from Rangers after six years in Glasgow.
Centre-half will be a must have in the summer.
Why Rangers need better than Sanderson
Sanderson isn’t at the level that Rangers need.
Yes, he’s relatively young for a central defender, but he has no experience at the level Rangers need for the sort of money that Birmingham would probably demand for a player under a long-term contract.
Sanderson also has no specific strengths.
Rangers need players to be capable of defending one v one, be physical and of being comfortable in possession.
Sanderson is none of these things.
Philippe Clement should know what a decent centre-half looks like having played at international level himself.
Rangers need either and experienced stopper approaching their peak or a player like Jarrad Branthwaite when he was at Carlisle and was scouted by Steven Gerrard.
Signing players from England’s second tier is fine, but if they aren’t one of the best in the league, they won’t be good enough for Rangers.
