Rangers could face a repeat of Dorrans by signing the “brilliant” EFL star

Glasgow Rangers The transfer business has been hit or miss over the past few years under Philippe ClementMichael Beale and Giovanni Van Bronckhorst.

These three managers have signed their fair share of waste. Notable names include Ben Davies, Sam Lammers, James Sands and Kieran Dowell, who are spending big on transfer fees or wages to lure them to Ibrox.

Of course, there has been the odd success story since the Light Blues’ last performance Premiership win the title in 2021, with young players such as Mohamed Diomande, Hamza Igamane and Clinton Nsiala all set to develop into big money-generating stars for the Ibrox side.

Despite the Jekyll and Hyde nature of the club in the 2021 transfer market, it hasn’t been nearly as bad compared to when Pedro Caixinha was in charge of the club…

The signings of Pedro Caixinha to Rangers

The Portuguese coach will be written down as one of the worst in the club’s history, and his performance in the transfer market is particularly bad.

Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Jack would become vital players for the club under Steven Gerrard, but apart from those two, Caixinha has wasted a lot of money.

Indeed, Carlos Pena and Eduardo Herrera cost money 2.2 million pounds and 1.5 million pounds that is, an incredible amount at the time, especially if you consider that there was no progress in Europe, and the club spent only one year in the first division.

More money was splashed on Norwich City midfielder Graham Dorrans, who also cost the Light Blues around £1.5 millionbut Caixinha saw this transfer as a smart deal.

The move soon turned into a disaster.

Graham Dorrans Rangers Stats

Former Gers boss Alex McLeish showered him with praise on his arrival in Glasgow, saying:

having made 142 appearances in the Premier League for Norwich and West Bromwich Albion, it was obvious that Dorrans could add some steel to the Gers midfield.

Despite the hype created by his arrival, even more amplified when he scored twice against Motherwell at the opening of the league season, the Scot got injured shortly after.

After five goals and two assists in his first ten home games, the midfielder suffered an ankle injury that kept him out for the next six months, hampering his wonderful start to life at Rangers.

In the 2018/19 season. he made only three appearances, because he spent most of the season on the treatment table due to a knee injury. Despite the generous fee spent on Dorrans, it was clear that the move had failed, departure with mutual consent in 2019

This month, Clement is looking to bring a number of players to Ibrox to strengthen his squad. Much will depend on the budget at his disposal, suggesting that moves will have to be made for those who could be available for nothing.

One player who has been linked with a move to Rangers is Allan Campbell, who is on loan at Charlton Athletic in League One.

While the club need some reinforcements, a move for Campbell could see the Gers repeat their Dorrans mistake, especially as he doesn’t appear to have the attributes to make a huge difference to the starting XI.

Rangers linked with a move for the EFL midfielder

As Football Insider reported earlier this week, The Light Blues are one of the teams pending a move for Campbell, who is under contract for Luton Town.

Other Premiership clubs Hearts, Hibs and Aberdeen are also showing an interest in the midfielder, perhaps proving he shouldn’t be on the Gers’ radar.

He is out of contract this summer, meaning Clement could agree a pre-contract move for the Scot – or sign him immediately this month for a fee – but his recent performances suggest that move should not top the list.

Allan Campbell’s stats during his time in England

The 26-year-old made his mark at Motherwell, plays 160 times for the Steelmen before moving to Luton Town in 2021.

He was highly praised during his spell Scotland manager Graham Alexanderwho said: “Without trying to sound like his dad, I love him to bits, he’s everything a professional footballer should be.

“His dedication to the game, to his team, what he puts in, he gets, and he should be a shining example for every professional who sees him work, really.”

During Luton’s 2022/23 promotion campaign, Campbell ranked in the bottom 85% for progressive passes (2.57), lowest 62% for shots on target (0.86) and lowest 71% for pass completion percentage (72.7%) compared to his league peers. This statistic is worrying, especially if Clement shows interest in the midfielder.

He clearly doesn’t offer much going forward, while his pass success rate is low, meaning he wouldn’t make the team ahead of Connor Barron, Nic Raskin or Mohamed Diomande. all average 87% or more in terms of passing through the country this term.

As of August 2023, Campbell has only played 28 times while on loan, he missed 15 games due to injury in the process.

All in all, a move for the Scot should not be high on Clement’s list of priorities, especially if he wants to spend his modest budget on quality that will either improve the starting XI or on youngsters who can develop into excellent players.

Campbell is neither, and if the Gers go for a raid it could be a repeat of the deal that brought Dorran north of the border all those years ago.