The countdown to the start of the Russell Martin era at Rangers is very much on.
A week on Saturday, the Light Blues will commence their pre-season campaign, before competitive action returns to Ibrox, now less than four weeks away.
New Rangers boss, Martin, will very much be thrown in at the deep end upon his arrival in Glasgow, with a Champions League qualifier his first match in charge on 22 July; the first leg is at Ibrox, before a visit to the enormous and hostile Spyros Louis Olympic Stadium in Athens eight nights later.
Victory in that tie is so crucial because, not only does it keep Rangers’ Champions League hopes alive, it’ll guarantee, at least, a spot in the Europa League, while defeat could see them end up in the Conference League, or potentially even with nothing.
Thus, Martin is determined to get signings in the door and fast, with that massive tie rapidly approaching.
Rangers looking to bolster their squad
Given their earlier-than-usual start date to this season, Rangers have been extremely busy in the transfer market already.
Robin Pröpper is set to return to FC Twente, having only arrived from the Eredivisie side just 12 months ago, with Conor Coady on course to be his replacement.
Meantime, Lyall Cameron was unveiled this week and Max Aarons has also put pen to paper on a move, joining on loan from Bournemouth, although the Gers are seemingly set to miss out on Kwame Poku, who reportedly appears likely to join Queens Park Rangers instead.
Now, though, according to TEAMtalk, Rangers have opened talks with Liverpool to sign full-back Owen Beck, who is valued at around £1m, according to Transfermarkt.
The 22 year old spent the 2023/24 season on loan at Dundee, earning rave reviews, with Andy Jones of the Athletic noting that he ‘impressed’ during his time at Dens Park, describing him as a ‘flying left-back’ and praising his ‘ability to drive forward’, documenting Rangers’ long-standing interest.
How Owen Beck can replicate Ryan Kent's Rangers career
The Welshman was on loan at EFL Championship club Blackburn Rovers last season, making 26 appearances before suffering a season-ending hamstring injury, with his former manager John Eustace describing his performances as “exceptional”, adding that he is a “very young, talented player”.
So now, will he be able to replicate a certain Ryan Kent at Ibrox?
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Indeed, this is not the first time Rangers have signed a Liverpool academy graduate.
Back in 2018, newly-appointed Steven Gerrard used his Melwood connections to sign Ryan Kent on loan, before that deal was made permanent 12 months later for a whopping £7.5m, which remains a club-record fee in the post-liquidation era, only eclipsed by Tore André Flo’s move from Chelsea in 2000 all told.
Kent would go on to make 218 appearances for the Light Blues, scoring 33 goals and providing 56 assists, winning a Premiership title and the Scottish Cup, also a key figure in Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team that reached the Europa League Final, starting all nine knockout phase ties, most notably scoring against Crvena zvezda at the Marakana en route to Seville.
The winger ultimately departed for Fenerbahçe two summers ago, now plying his trade with Seattle Sounders in Major League Soccer, featuring for the Rave Green at the Club World Cup, starting against Botafogo, before coming off the bench during defeats to Atlético Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain in the Pacific Northwest.
So, could Beck become a Rangers mainstay, just as Kent was for many seasons?
Well, let’s assess his statistics from his season on loan at Dundee.
Minutes
2,231
82nd
Appearances
25
129th
Assists
4
35th
Big chances created
6
28th
Crosses
168
13th
Tackles per 90
2.8
2nd
Total tackles won
48
7th
Average SofaScore rating
7.30
11th
As the table outlines, Beck impressed both in and out of possession during his season at Dundee, especially ranking highly for tackles and crosses, despite somewhat limited minutes.
In fact, only six defenders registered more Premiership assists than he did in 2023/24, one of which was potential future teammate James Tavernier.
Euan Booth Robertson of Transfermarkt documents his ‘standout performances’ for the Dark Blues, labelling him a ‘revelation’, asserting he is similar stylistically to Liverpool captain Andy Robertson.
Thus, with neither Jefté nor Rıdvan Yılmaz having nailed down the left-back spot at Rangers, Beck could certainly arrive and establish himself as first-choice from Liverpool, just as Kent did all those years ago.
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