Glasgow Rangers manager Russell Martin finally has the chance to meet some of his players in the flesh for the first time after they returned for pre-season testing on Monday.
The Light Blues head coach will have a lot of difficult decisions to make over the playing squad at Ibrox in order to end the summer transfer window with a squad that is capable of competing for the Scottish Premiership title.
Martin will be working with sporting director Kevin Thelwell, who is now in his first window at Ibrox as well, to secure new signings to bolster the team.
In fact, Thelwell is reportedly pursuing a deal for a new player who would leave the Scottish manager with a big decision to make on two of his current options in the same position.
Rangers set to bid for Premier League defender
According to DAVEOCKOP, Rangers are interested in a deal to sign left-back Owen Beck from Premier League champions Liverpool this summer.
The report claims that the Light Blues are planning to submit a bid to sign the Wales international, as Thelwell aims to add another full-back option to Martin’s squad.
It adds that Liverpool have held talks with Beck over a potential new contract and that the plan has been to send him out on loan for the 2025/26 campaign.
However, Rangers are now looking to disrupt those plans by swooping in with an offer to sign the left-footed star on a permanent deal this summer, although it remains to be seen how likely a move is at this moment in time.
Why Rangers should sign Owen Beck
The Light Blues should push to convince the Reds to part ways with the 22-year-old full-back because his performances on loan at Dundee in the Premiership in the 2023/24 season suggest that he has the potential to be an upgrade on Jefte.
Beck spent this season on loan at Blackburn in the second tier of English football and started 21 of his 24 appearances in the division, averaging 3.4 tackles and interceptions per game at left-back.
The Welsh star, who was once hailed as a “spectacular” player by talent scout Jacek Kulig, really caught the eye whilst playing in Scotland with Dundee, though.
Jefte started 30 of his 33 appearances in the top-flight during his debut campaign in Glasgow in the 2024/25 campaign, but the arrival of Beck on a permanent deal could put an end to his role as a regular starter.
|
Premiership |
Owen Beck (23/24) |
Jefte (24/25) |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
25 |
33 |
|
Big chances created |
6 |
4 |
|
Assists |
4 |
4 |
|
Key passes per game |
2.3 |
1.0 |
|
Tackles + interceptions per game |
3.9 |
3.3 |
|
Ground duel success rate |
57% |
53% |
|
Dribble success rate |
60% |
46% |
As you can see in the table above, Beck’s performances for Dundee suggest that the potential is there for him to offer more to the team as a creator and as an out-and-out defender.
The 22-year-old star put up more impressive creative numbers than Jefte did whilst playing in an inferior team, with respect to the Premiership, which suggests that he could thrive even more at the top end of the pitch as part of a ball-dominant Rangers team led by Martin.
Couple that with his superb defensive numbers, which suggest that he does not shirk his responsibilities going back the other way, and it appears as though Beck would come in with a real chance of being an upgrade on Jefte.
As a proven Premiership performer, the Liverpool dynamo would also have the potential to hit the ground running without having to get used to the physical demands of the style of football in Scotland.
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Therefore, this is a signing that would make a lot of sense for the Light Blues, but it would also leave Martin with some big decisions to make on Jefte and Ridvan Yilmaz.
