Why Rangers should make it a point to cash in on Jordan Jones in January
Back in August, a report from the Teesside Live claimed that out-of-favour Rangers star Jordan Jones had been told by manager Steven Gerrard that he was free to find himself a new club during the summer window.
The report mentioned EFL Championship clubs Middlesbrough, Stoke City and Blackburn Rovers among the potential suitors for the 26-year-old but the Northern Irishman ended up staying put at Ibrox.
However, Jones’ situation hasn’t changed much, with the winger continuing to play a bit-part role in Gerrard’s ranks. He was one of the two Gers players alongside George Edmundson to be slapped with a 7-match ban by the club for breach of Covid-19 regulations towards the end of September.
Profile
A youth exponent of Middlesbrough, Jordan Jones made only a solitary first-team appearance for his boyhood club in an FA Cup tie against Hastings United during the 2012-13 campaign. He spent time on loan at Hartlepool United and Cambridge United in the English fourth-tier before moving north of the border with Kilmarnock in 2016.
Jones amassed 119 appearances for the Rugby Park outfit over three full seasons, registering a decent tally of 11 goals and 22 assists in the process. The winger joined Scottish rivals Rangers on a free transfer last summer but managed only 15 appearances in all competitions over the course of a difficult debut season at Ibrox.
Jones doesn’t have a future at Ibrox
Jordan Jones had been named in the squad for three out of Rangers’ first eight fixtures in all competitions earlier this season. The attacker played a solitary cameo in the qualifying rounds of the Europa League and even started in Scottish Premiership wins over strugglers Ross County and Motherwell but is yet to feature for the first-team since a 2-0 win against Livingston back in October.
The 26-year-old’s disciplinary issues off the pitch have pushed him further down the pecking order under Gerrard. Chances have been few and far in between for the winger, who was even axed from the club’s Europa League squad to make room for new summer loan arrival Bongani Zungu.
Jones’ struggles at Ibrox doesn’t really come as a massive surprise. Rangers are already well-stocked in the wide attacking department, with Kemar Roofe, Ianis Hagi, Ryan Kent, Brandon Barker and Greg Stewart all ahead of the Northern Ireland international in Gerrard’s pecking order.
Verdict
Jones has a contract with Rangers until the summer of 2023 but with his future at Ibrox looking bleak, the Gers shouldn’t hesitate to cash in on him if he manages to generate considerable interest among the potential suitors in the winter market. The 26-year-old needs to depart the club to play regular first-team football, while it doesn’t make any sense for Rangers to pay him the wages for doing next to nothing.
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Having said that, Rangers parting ways with Jordan Jones in January would be an ideal settlement for all parties involved.
