This month, will Rangers add any new players?
Even though Philippe Clement’s team is ten points behind the dominant Premiership leaders Celtic after playing more games, Rafael Fernandes, a 22-year-old centre-back, is the Light Blues’ only winter addition to date.
Given the Gers’ participation in the Scottish Cup and the Europa League, their title aspirations are all but mathematically finished. On Thursday, they will host Belgian team Royale Union Saint-Gilloise at Ibrox in a pivotal European match.
Could Rangers re-sign a former centre-back to expand Clement’s options? He has had to name makeshift backlines several times this season due to a number of injuries.
Rangers are trying to sign a defender again.
Rangers have now’made an offer’ to FC Zürich in an effort to re-sign defender Nikola Katić, who ‘wants to leave’ Switzerland this month, according to Timo Rizzi of the Swiss online daily Watson.
Although former Rangers defender Craig Moore urges his former club to re-sign the “big, solid defender” who he describes as a former “fans’ favourite” from his time in Glasgow, Zürich manager Ricardo Moniz says his team has not received any offers for Katić.
When Steven Gerrard took over as Rangers manager in 2018, he was among the first players to sign Katić, who arrived from Slaven Belupo Koprivnica for an estimated £2 million.
When the Light Blues won an away Old Firm derby for the first time in nine years at Parkhead in 2019, it was without a doubt the high point of his Rangers career.
How Rangers could benefit from Nikola Katić’s comeback
During his four seasons at Govan, Katić made a total of just 59 appearances. He did not play at all from 8 March 2020 to 11 August 2021, a span of 521 days, due to a “career-threatening anterior cruciate ligament.” He was loaned out to Hajduk Split the same month he returned, and he joined Zürich a year later when his contract expired.
Not least of all, the center-back’s nationality has changed since he was last seen wearing the red, white, and blue uniform.
In May 2017, Katić played in a friendly match against Mexico at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, earning one cap for Croatia.
But since he was never called up again, he decided to support his native Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2024. He made his debut against England in a pre-Euro friendly at St. James’ Park, started all six of the Golden Lilies’ games in June, September, and October, and missed the Nations League doubleheader in November.
In the meanwhile, he has made 86 appearances for Zürich over the past two and a half seasons, solidifying his position as a regular in their defence. However, he has missed their last two Swiss Super League games, against Luzern and Yverdon Sport, possibly as a result of persistent transfer rumours.
Therefore, would the now-Bosnian defender be a nice addition to Govan and could he be returning? Yes, is the response.
As previously mentioned, Rangers has struggled to find a consistent centre-back combination this season and has not yet adequately replaced Connor Goldson, who left for Aris Limassol in the summer.
Let’s see how Katić stacks up against John Souttar, who would be his first choice when healthy. His most common partners are summer acquisition Robin Pröpper and veteran Leon Balogun.
As indicated in the table, since the start of the 2022/23 season, Katić comes out on top when it comes to passing and % of aerial duals won, and he compares favourably to both Balogun and Pröpper in most metrics, such as tackles, interceptions and ball recoveries.
Additionally, the Bosnian has played nearly twice as much as the Nigerian during this extended period, indicating that, in contrast to his previous spell in Glasgow, he can be available for an extended length of time—a critical skill given Rangers’ ongoing defensive injury crisis.
If Rangers can re-sign the centre-back this month, it seems like a wise option because of Katić’s exceptional aerial ability.
