Why Rangers should sign Kieran Dowell on loan in January
According to The Sun, Rangers manager Steven Gerrard is considering a loan bid for Kieran Dowell. The Kop idol is in dire need of injecting some creativity to his Ibrox ranks.
Rangers are firmly in the title chase heading into the festive season but Gerrard will be aware of the fact that his side needs reinforcements to end Celtic’s dominance.
Kieran Dowell has gone from playing his way into first-team contention at Everton the last term to being a peripheral figure at Goodison Park this season. The 21-year-old has struggled to break into Marco Silva’s thoughts. Dowell has only played twice for Everton this season, totalling 135 minutes of EFL Cup football.
A loan move north of the border should appeal to the 21-year-old. It would give the youngster the minutes that are crucial in his career development.
The midfielder spent last season on loan at Nottingham Forest in the Championship. He impressed in the first half of the campaign, netting ten goals up until the end of January. A managerial reshuffle saw Aitor Karanka enter the picture which eventually stalled Dowell’s flourishing career.
The England U20 star struggled to adapt to the change of style and he went on to make 11 appearances for Forest from January until the end of the season, failing to score.
In the summer, Dowell did receive a chance to impress the new manager. The versatile midfielder got himself a lot of game time in pre-season due to Gylfi Sigurdsson’s extended post World Cup break. However, the return of the Iceland international – and the arrival of Bernard from Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk – pushed the youngster down the pecking order.
The 21-year-old was forced to play in an out-of-position central midfield role against Rotherham in his only appearance this term so far. Dowell did well, however, producing a solid performance.
It is tough to see him picking up the regular minutes he needs to progress as a player as the situation currently stands at Goodison Park. At Rangers, he will receive adequate chances to play and impress. The Gers will need to rotate to keep legs fresh due to knocks, injuries and suspension.
Under Gerrard, arguably one of the best midfielders of his generation, Dowell could learn a lot. Since taking over at the Ibrox, Gerrard has done a solid job. After all, the Rangers have scored like nobody’s business this campaign. If the Gers are to go all the way, they could use Dowell’s creativity, dribbling, set-piece taking skills, crossing and, most importantly, his finishing abilities.
