Rangers are on a high after the announcement of new manager Steven Gerrard, who will be coaching the club next season. Gerrard is already looking to make additions to the squad which finished 3rd in the Scottish Premiership last season in order to turn them into title contenders.
While Rangers scored 76 goals in the league last term, they conceded 50 – the most amongst the top six clubs in the division. The former Liverpool captain will be looking to tighten things up at the back and defensive reinforcements are a must this summer.
Rangers could look to sign Derby County defender Curtis Davies, who featured heavily for his side last season. The Rams finished 6th in the Championship, occupying the final playoff spot.
In the playoff semi-final clash, they won the first leg 1-0 against Fulham before losing 2-0 in the return fixture, thus ending their promotion hopes. Derby County’s new manager Frank Lampard is a good friend to Gerrard, and the Rangers boss could use his connections with his compatriot to lure Davies to Ibrox.
Davies made 48 appearances for the Rams in the 2017/18 campaign and averaged 2.8 interceptions and 8.4 clearances per game. The 33-year-old brings with him an era of experience as he counts West Brom, Aston Villa and Hull City amongst his former employers. The Derby skipper also averaged 1.6 tackles per game.
He is a man-marking specialist and a commander at the back, who is often happy to have a go at the attacker. Gerrard could use someone who possesses such quality and experience at Rangers. He could be the leader Rangers need to revitalise their backline.
Davies would be a massive influence in the dressing room, with his authoritative presence and footballing wisdom. The likes of Aidan Wilson, Lee Wallace and Danny Wilson could form a devastatingly rigid backline with the support of the former Hull man.
Stoke City have been linked with making a move for Davies, whose departure from Derby could prompt Lampard to sign his former Chelsea and England team-mate John Terry, who enjoyed a successful season with Aston Villa. But Gerrard should do everything in his power to rope in the experienced defender as he is certain to better Rangers’ defence.
