If there’s one thing we keep hearing on Ibrox Noise, it’s how badly the club needs new defenders. We’ve been linked heavily with Ryan Porteous, time telling on how serious that one is, and there are one or two other names coming in as well.

But one the Noise has mentioned before is about as lucrative a free agent as they come, being worth €45M once upon a time – former France star Eliaquim Mangala.

Still only 31, this formerly world class central defender has been a free agent for a few months now, his last spell being with St Etienne in France, and if ever a player wanted a chance to prove he’s not finished, it’s the ex-Valencia and Man City defender.

A three-time league winner in England, Belgium and Portugal, the ex-Porto star has a CV up there with the best of them, and would, obviously, be a total free. ‘Washed up’ he isn’t, at a very good age for a defender, and he wouldn’t command the earth on wages either, being eager to find the right chance to move his career forward.

Injury history? Hasn’t had anything since early last year, hasn’t been injured for over a year and a half, so he’s pretty durable, and his ex-boss Pep Guardiola was a big fan, despite not overly using him:

He’s not a player looked back on fondly by City, but he was far from the worst signing they ever made, and his career has stalled because of the Covid pandemic.

Would Rangers be willing to take a chance on a guy desperate to get his career going again? We need bodies at the back, and the guy was outstanding for Porto while getting stints at Valencia, City, Everton and St Etienne. Maybe Ibrox is the place for him, maybe it’s not, but we do need defenders who are fit and ready, and Mangala has little history for injury.

That’s a plus in the eyes of Rangers fans, no?