Derek McInnes needs to put pressure on the recruitment team to add more quality to the Glasgow Rangers squad before the end of the summer transfer window.
Two losses and a draw in the first three matches shows that the Gers have not done enough this summer to build a team to hit the ground running on the pitch.
A 2-1 defeat to Hibernian at Ibrox on Sunday followed the 1-1 draw with Dundee United on the opening day of the Scottish Premiership campaign under the new boss.
Due to the lack of quality brought in, central midfielder Vanja Dragojevic was forced to play out of position at right-back from the start against Hibs.
Why Rangers must not drop Vanja Dragojevic
The summer signing from Partizan looked out of his depth in an unfamiliar role at right-back and was, harshly, penalised for the penalty from which Hibernian took the lead.
After the penalty, there was also a moment where the ball came across the pitch and he attempted to block off the man running to go through on goal, instead of going for the ball, and was somewhat fortunate not to make more contact with the Hibs man.
If he had taken out the attacker, who would have been one-on-one with Ivor Pandur if he had got to the ball, the referee would have had a big decision to make, as the full-back was already on a yellow card.
|
Vs Hibernian |
Dragojevic |
|---|---|
|
Minutes |
45 |
|
Ground duels won |
1/3 |
|
Aerial duels won |
0/2 |
|
Defensive contributions |
2 |
|
Pass accuracy |
89% |
|
Long passes made |
3/4 |
|
Shots |
2 |
Despite his shortfalls as an out-and-out defender at right-back, Dragojevic should not be dropped from the starting line-up by McInnes, as he should move into his favoured midfield role.
The Serbian talent showed plenty of nice touches on the ball when he drifted into central areas, completing 89% of his attempted passes, and went close to scoring with two impressive efforts from distance.
Rangers pursuit of new defender is good news for Dragojevic
Now, McInnes could be able to play the 20-year-old in the middle of the park if the club complete a move for one of their reported targets in the coming days.
According to the Daily Record, Glasgow Rangers are eyeing up a deal to sign £8m Aston Villa right-back Kosta Nedeljkovic before the end of the summer transfer window.
The report claims that the 49ers are exploring a move to bring the Serbian defender to Ibrox to bolster their options on the right side of the defence, having already signed Ross McCrorie from Bristol City this summer.
It adds that the board are weighing up a swoop to sign the 20-year-old full-back on a season-long loan from the Premier League side in the coming weeks.
The Serbia international has not had much joy in the past two seasons, featuring 15 times in the Bundesliga in 18 months on loan at RB Leipzig, and has only played five times in the Premier League for the Villans.
His form for Red Star Belgrade in the 2023/24 campaign is an example of what he is capable of when given a run of games, though, and that is encouraging for the Gers.
|
23/24 Superliga |
Nedeljkovic |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
14 |
|
Starts |
10 |
|
Pass accuracy |
87% |
|
Tackles + interceptions per game |
2.2 |
|
Dribbled past per game |
0.1x |
|
Duel success rate |
69% |
|
Ground duel success rate |
76% |
Nedeljkovic, who was a teenager at the time, caught the eye in the league that season with an impressive success rate in his defensive duels, rarely allowing opposition players to get the better of him physically.
The Serbian defender, who has been capped 11 times by his country already, has the potential to be an incredibly strong out-and-out defensive right-back, improving the solidity of McInnes’ backline.
Rangers are in dire need of improvement defensively after conceding five goals in the first three games of the season, including four in the last two matches.
Signing Nedeljkovic on loan from Villa would provide McInnes with an exciting young defensive with the potential to be dominant physically at the back, which would then allow the manager to play Dragojevic in his favoured position.
The Serbian midfielder, who has played with the Villa youngster at international level, would be freed up to potentially replace Cammy Devlin in the middle of the park to add more technical quality and guile to the team.
Therefore, the club’s pursuit of a deal to sign Nedeljkovic should come as good news to Dragojevic, who could get more opportunities in midfield if a new right-back is signed to start matches.
