The January transfer window is set to slam shut in little over a week and Glasgow Rangers still have a bit of time to make further additions to their squad.
Philippe Clement is looking to bolster his playing squad ahead of the second half of the season as the Light Blues prepare to battle for trophies domestically and in Europe.
One player who has been linked with a move to Ibrox is Vitesse forward Million Manhoef. TEAMtalk reported earlier this month that the club are one of the sides keen on a deal for the winger, who could be snapped up for a fee of around £3m.
Clement could now land Borna Barisic’s next Ryan Kent on the left flank, as Abdallah Sima does not provide the same creative qualities that made the aforementioned duo so fearsome for opposition defences, in a move for the Light Blues target.
Barisic and Kent’s chemistry
The pair struck fear into full-backs with their electric link-up down the left side to create high-quality chances for their teammates on a regular basis.
They were particularly impressive as creators during the club’s last Scottish Premiership success in the 2020/21 campaign under Steven Gerrard, as you can see in the table below.
They also caught the eye last season under Gio van Bronckhorst and Michael Beale as Kent produced eight assists, nine ‘big chances’ created, and 2.2 key passes per game in 29 league outings, to go along with Barisic’s nine assists, 12 ‘big chances’ created, and 2.3 key passes per match across 30 clashes.
Whereas, this season the Croatia international has only created one ‘big chance’ in 11 league games. That could be down to Sima’s lack of creativity on the wing as the forward has only managed 1.0 key passes per game and created two ‘big chances’ in 20 Premiership matches.
The statistics that show why Manhoef could be Barisic’s next Kent
Rangers could get Barisic back to his best by signing Manhoef to be his next Kent on the flank, which could also allow Sima to play centrally or on the right wing.
The 22-year-old attacker’s form throughout the 2022/23 campaign for Vitesse suggests that he has the creative skills to be a dream partner for the Gers left-back.
He ranked within the top 13% of Eredivisie midfielders for shot-creating actions (3.76) per 90 and the top 11% for Expected Assisted Goals (0.20) per 90.
Manhoef, who Dutch football writer Michael Bell stated has “pace to burn”, contributed with five assists and ten ‘big chances’ created across 27 starts in the Dutch top-flight in total, and these statistics show that he has the quality to be an impressive creative threat on the left flank.
The Dutch wizard, who has scored 13 Eredivisie goals since the start of last season, has the creativity to form an exciting partnership with Barisic at Ibrox, just as Kent did.
They could both provide a consistent threat in the final third as they could combine to create high-quality opportunities for the likes of Sima, Cyriel Dessers, and Todd Cantwell, among others, to find the back of the net.
Whereas, Barisic’s output has been restricted by having Sima in front of him this season, as the forward is not as focused on creating for others as much as he is on scoring goals – with ten league strikes.
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