Glasgow Rangers head coach Michael Beale is seemingly in the market to bolster his squad ahead of the 2023/24 campaign after a disappointing season at Ibrox.
The Light Blues have already been knocked out of all the domestic and European cup competitions that they were involved in and are 13 points behind Celtic in the Scottish Premiership table with five games left to play.
This means that the Gers are on course to end the season without a single trophy to show for their efforts despite sacking manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst in favour of Beale to rescue their campaign during the World Cup break last year.
The English boss has been unable to bring success in terms of silverware this term but the summer transfer window will now provide him with an opportunity to improve his team with a view to competing in 2023/24.
One player who has been linked with a move to Glasgow is Aston Villa central midfielder Tim Iroegbunam, who is currently out on loan at Queens Park Rangers in the English Championship, and he could be the dream partner for Nicolas Raskin at Ibrox.
Beale signed the England youth interview for QPR at the start of the season and worked with him during his time with Steven Gerrard at Aston Villa, with the boss now eyeing either a loan or permanent swoop this summer.
How has Iroegbunam performed this season?
The 19-year-old has been a solid operator in the Championship and displayed his qualities as a defensive workhorse in the middle of the park, which could allow Raskin to thrive in Scotland.
He has averaged 2.8 tackles and interceptions per game, winning 50% of his duels, and this shows that the £12k-per-week ace regularly cuts out opposition attacks with his aggression and anticipation.
Iroegbunam has also chipped in with two goals and one assist whilst creating 0.6 chances per game for QPR and has the potential to contribute in the final third, with boss Gareth Ainsworth claiming the teen “glides past people“.
Last season, the youngster made three appearances for Villa in the Premier League and caught the eye with 2.4 tackles and interceptions and a duel success rate of 80%, which proved that he can handle himself physically at the top level.
By comparison, Raskin has only created 0.1 chances per match across seven Premiership outings since joining the Gers in January but managed 1.1 key passes per outing and created four ‘big chances’ in 16 games for Standard Liege during the first half of the campaign.
His form in Belgium showed that the midfielder has the quality to be a creative threat from the middle of the park and thus, bringing in an energetic and defensive-minded machine in the form of Iroegbunam could allow the 22-year-old to step forward and make things happen in possession.
Instead of being tied down to defensive duties, Raskin could use the shield that the Villa teen may provide to use his qualities on the ball to split open defences and create opportunities for the club’s forwards.
Therefore, Iroegbunam could be a dream partner for the Belgian talent next season.
