Glasgow Rangers have undoubtedly strengthened their attacking options during the summer transfer window.
Teddy Bears boss Michael Beale has signed Cyriel Dessers, Abdallah Sima, and Sam Lammers, with a move for Danilo edging closer and this new look is exactly what the Gers needed.
Improvements are still required in defence, however, especially following the performance against Olympiacos.
How did Rangers perform against Olympiacos?
The Greek outfit were the visitors to Ibrox on Wednesday evening for a pre-season friendly, and they left Glasgow with a 3-1 victory.
Of course, results tend not to matter during the off-season, yet the Gers were one step off the pace throughout the whole evening and with Borna Barisic making a mistake for their second goal, being caught out by the high ball over the top, Beale needs a rethink.
Ben Davies and John Souttar were the central defensive partnership during the defeat and with 35-year-old Leon Balogun arriving at the club for his second spell in Glasgow, the manager clearly needs another centre-back ahead of the Premiership season.
Could Rangers sign Auston Trusty?
Young defender Leon King suffered a serious injury a few weeks ago and it prompted the decision to bring Balogun back, however, the move doesn’t exactly inspire confidence among the supporters.
Despite a productive spell between 2020 and 2022, winning the league and Scottish Cup, the Nigerian international started just 15 Championship games for Queens Park Rangers last term due to various injury issues.
The Light Blues have also been linked with Arsenal defender Auston Trusty throughout the summer, and he could certainly become an instant upgrade on Balogun should he make the move north of the border before the window shuts.
The American machine enjoyed a stunning campaign on loan at Birmingham City, winning the Supporter’s Player of the Season award and journalist Charles Watts even described his loan as being a “huge success” after he made 48 appearances across all competitions.
The 24-year-old gem ranked second in the squad for tackles made per game (2.3), while ranking first and fourth for interceptions (1.5) and clearances (four) per game respectively, showcasing just how impressive he was for the club at the heart of their defence.
By comparison, Balogun ranked fifth for tackles per game (1.6), yet he did rank first for interceptions (1.8) and second for clearances (4.3) per game which indicates that he also had a fairly positive influence on his team, despite his lack of matches.
The mooted transfer target does pose a bigger danger in front of goal, however, scoring four times compared to just once for the 35-year-old, and he also created more big chances (three to zero) and made more key passes per game (0.4 to zero), demonstrating that although Balogun may have not lost his defensive ability, he could struggle to adapt to Beale’s need for a forward-thinking defender.
Trusty could adapt to this role extremely well and with Balogun approaching the end of his career, he shouldn’t be called upon every game.
The 6 foot 3 titan has shown he can perform well in a tough league such as the Championship and given time to develop at a club like Rangers, he could surpass Balogun.