With the festive season now upon us, many fans will be assessing the latest offers available with New UK betting sites ahead of what is a bumper period of fixtures. Also looming ever larger on the horizon is the key date in the diary of Sunday 3rd January, as the transfer opens once more, albeit only fleetingly.
Now in post, and off to a positive start, Michael Beale will likely have his own ideas regarding the areas in need of improvement, as he bids to lead the Bears into what may need to be a near-perfect second half of the campaign.
With the rumour mill now firmly into overdrive, here we look at five names who may be making the Rangers news headlines ahead of a switch to Ibrox.
Jerry Yates
Goalscoring may not be an obvious problem area, with Alfredo Morelos back to fitness and Antonio Colak having banged in eleven already this season. Nevertheless, a little cover never hurts, and Blackpool’s Jerry Yates may fit the bill. Second in the Championship scoring charts, and seemingly in the form of his life, Yates’s relentless work rate and ability to play as a left-sided forward may well appeal. Expected to come with a price tag of around £2m, it wouldn’t be the biggest surprise to see Rangers test the waters.
Jobe Bellingham
This name likely needs little introduction, with Jude Bellingham in the limelight due to his form at Borussia Dortmund and with the English national side. Younger brother Jobe may be some way off those levels at present but is making an impressive start to life at Birmingham City. Similar to his brother in terms of playing style, Jobe’s athleticism and consistent passing already has a number of big clubs sniffing around, despite the fact he only has 16 first-team appearances to his name. Given his inexperience, this would be something of a gamble but, depending upon the price tag, it could be one worth taking.
Benedito Mambuene Mukendi
From a name familiar to British football fans to one which most likely isn’t, unless that is you happen to be a close follower of either Portugal’s second tier or the Angolan national side. Going by the much more manageable nickname of “Beni”, this 20-year-old midfielder has been catching the eyes of many with his displays for Portuguese side Trofense. With his contract up in the summer, this deep-lying midfielder falls into the prime category of players likely to move on in January, and Rangers could likely present an attractive package.
Harry Souttar
Stoke City’s towering centre-back came out the other side of a major knee injury, to emerge as a defensive colossus for Australia out in Qatar. Souttar’s ability in the air and strength in the tackle hardly came as a surprise at the World Cup, but his array of passing was even more impressive, particularly when spraying balls out to wide areas. The type of player likely to improve an immediate hit at Ibrox, he has surely earnt himself a step up the ladder and may jump at the chance to join his brother in Glasgow.
Joel Nouble
This one appears to be being talked up by Nouble’s current manager at Livingstone, with David Martindale touting the towering wide-man to move on to bigger and better things. At 6ft4in, Nouble presents a difficult challenge for Scottish defences and is undoubtedly effective on his day. Whether his underlying numbers are quite enough to tempt Beale remains to be seen, with a club in the English Championship perhaps being a more likely destination.