Rangers made their 10th signing of the summer this week, confirming the arrival of Manchester City youngster Aaron Nemane on loan. The 19-year-old will compete for places as a winger, with the Light Blues hoping he can be as successful in Scotland as another Man City loanee was last season at Celtic, Patrick Roberts.
He is the first arrival at Rangers since former Man City youth academy head Mark Allen became director of football at the club, a link that is clearly proving fruitful already.
However, the Citizens aren’t the only English Premier League team with fringe talent that can make an impression in the Scottish Premiership. From Arsenal to Manchester United to Chelsea, there are plenty of teenagers and academy graduates that need more first team football, with Ibrox being an excellent destination to gain it.
Here are THREE more loan signings the Light Blues should be looking to complete after the signing of Nemane…
Matty Willock
Linked with a move to Rangers by ESPN last month, Manchester United youngster Matty Willock is making enough progress at Old Trafford to have been included in first team squads against West Bromwich Albion and Crystal Palace last season. Willock is a big part of the Red Devils U23 squad in Premier League 2, making 21 appearances last season, all of which were from the start.
That kind of education has surely primed him to have the quality to make an impact at Scottish Premiership level and at the age of 21, now needs regular first-team footballer to make the next step in his career. With the quality coming into Old Trafford and already established stars reaching peak form, it’ll be difficult to get that under Jose Mourinho.
With five goals and three assists for the reserves, he could be the kind of attacking spark Pedro Caixinha should be looking for from the middle of the park with the strengths of the pragmatic Ryan Jack and Graham Dorrans lying elsewhere.
Domingos Quina
Another talented youngster struggling to make the breakthrough in the English Premier League is West Ham United attacking midfielder Domingos Quina.
Last summer he threatened to break into Slaven Bilic’s first team plans on a regular basis with two appearances in their doomed UEFA Europa League qualifying campaign. Since then though he’s struggled for minutes on the pitch, despite appearing on the bench for the Hammers 12 times in the English Premier League last term.
Still just 17 years of age, a loan spell North of the border could do him and the Irons the world of good, especially if he strings together consistent first team appearances.
Winning the club’s ‘Dylan Tombides Award’ last season, given to their outstanding academy talent across a season, it’s clear he is rated highly at the London Stadium. However with the stakes so high in the English Premier League, especially at West Ham right now, exposing him to the pressures of first-team football there could be too great for him.
Hamza Choudhury
Hamza Choudhury was linked with a move to Rangers by HITC in July and is regarded as one of the brightest prospects coming through former English Premier League champions Leicester City right now.
Although he has yet to make his senior debut for the Foxes, he has gained significant first-team experience at Burton Albion, helping them gain promotion from League One in 2015/16, then making a further 13 appearances for the club in the Championship last term.
Still just 19 years of age, he can add more depth to the midfield areas on a budget, especially if they can’t tempt the likes of Kenny McLean to make the switch from Aberdeen before the end of the transfer window.
