Michael Beale could be set to undertake a major rebuild at Glasgow Rangers during the summer, especially with so many players underperforming in their defeat at Pittodrie yesterday.
The 2-0 loss to Aberdeen highlighted a lot of failings within the squad and Beale will be in no doubt that certain players need to move on as soon as possible while bringing in quality replacements at the same time.
The initial impressions of Nicolas Raskin and Todd Cantwell, two January signings, have been extremely positive and it's clearly evident that the 42-year-old can pick a player, however, this will need to be translated into success during the summer.
The Englishman appears to already be eyeing up a few potential signings ahead of next season, with German midfielder Denis Huseinbasic recently linked with a move to the Ibrox side.
According to Bild (via Sport Witness), Rangers and indeed their rivals Celtic, are ‘in the picture’ to sign the FC Koln midfielder and with the central midfield area potentially looking light next term due to the likes of Ryan Jack, Steven Davis and Scott Arfield all out of contract, he could be the ideal Raskin partner.
Could Rangers sign Denis Huseinbasic?
The 21-year-old only signed for Koln last summer and thus still has two years remaining on his current contract, which means the Gers will have to fork out a decent sum to lure him to Glasgow.
Football Transfers currently value him at €7.1m (£6.2m), although Beale may be able to negotiate a smaller fee, especially as he hasn’t started a lot of matches of late for the Bundesliga side.
There is no doubt he could thrive alongside Raskin, with the Belgian starlet able to utilise his defensive abilities in order to give Huseinbasic a chance to showcase his attacking skills to full effect.
Across 24 appearances for Koln this term, he has scored four goals and grabbed two assists, while taking 0.7 shots per game and taking 21.2 touches each match, despite averaging only 37 minutes on the field.
Raskin could drop deeper and allow the German youngster to push forward often to supplement the attack. The former Standard Liege midfielder has averaged two tackles and 0.6 interceptions per game since arriving in January while winning 4.9 duels per game with that combative mentality set to serve him well if screening the defence.
In Huseinbasic, the manager could add a more forward-thinking midfield partner and together, they could work in perfect tandem to control the game and create chances for the Ibrox side.
The youngster has been dubbed “ambitious” by his manager Steffen Baumgart, and he could certainly reach new heights by making the move to Glasgow, that’s for sure.