Rangers join Celtic and Hearts in race for Scotland Under-21s star as Danny Rohl seeks January reinforcements
The Rangers boss already has one eye on the upcoming transfer window.
As the final International break of the year comes to an end, the January transfer window is now just six weeks away and Danny Rohl has some big plans.
Since his appointment last month, the Rangers boss has had a solid start domestically, winning three out of three in the SPFL Premiership so far. However, Europa League losses to Brann and Roma, as well as the League Cup semi-final defeat to Celtic, prove that the Light Blues will have to bolster their squad in January.
With the help of the investment from Andrew Cavenagh and the 49ers Enterprise, Russell Martin spent around £26m in the summer window, however with the Ibrox side currently sitting fourth in the table, it can be argued several new additions have failed to hit the ground running. As Rohl looks to rectify the mistakes made in the previous window, Rangers have been linked with a sought after Premiership star.
Rangers join race for Kilmarnock prospect
According to TeamTalk, Rangers are ‘actively exploring’ the possibility of signing Kilmarnock midfielder, David Watson. A plethora of top-flight Scottish clubs have also expressed interest in the 20-year old including Celtic, Hearts and Aberdeen.
Known as ‘The Prestwick Pele’ in his native Ayrshire, Watson’s technical ability, energy and goalscoring knack would make him an asset to any Scottish side. What makes him even more appealing to Danny Rohl, is that his Killie contract expires in June, meaning Rangers have a chance to get him on the cheap in January.
To add to this, Watson was announced by Scot Gemmill as Scotland under-21s captain in May, giving the midfielder a perfect blend of leadership experience and future potential. He led the young Scots to victory in their recent European Championship Qualification matches against Bulgaria and Gibraltar.
Watson ‘a breath of fresh air’ in a struggling Killie side
After a promising start to the season, Kilmarnock’s performances have dipped of late, culminating in them plummeting to 10th in the table. The pressure is slowly building on manager, Stuart Kettlewell after a five game losing streak.
Despite the Ayrshire side’s poor form, Kettlewell has tipped his the reliable midfielder for the top. He said: “he (Watson) is a breath of fresh air. He is a lad who plays football with a smile on his face and an aggression. He has so much quality and the beauty for him is that his future is all ahead of him. He just gives everybody a lift and he’s been like that since I came in.”
National team boss, Gemmill also admires Watson’s ability to lead by example for the Under-21s. He said: “I think David Watson deserved to be captain. He's good within the squad and shows good leadership.”