Philippe Clement’s Rangers midfield is made up more of specialists than those who could realistically be labelled a proverbial ‘jack of all trades’.
Nicolas Raskin and Connor Barron have excelled as a pair recently. The hard-running duo have provided a platform for Rangers, particularly in Europe, due to their fine ball-playing talents, their boundless energy levels, and their intelligent passing.
But, between them, Raskin and Barron have scored just one Rangers goal in 95 games.
Tom Lawrence, Kieran Dowell, Ianis Hagi Nedim Bajrami are all far better going forward than they are going backwards. Mohamed Diomande, meanwhile, has had good games and bad ones this term amid ongoing debates about his most effective position in Philippe Clement’s set-up.
Similar questions are being asked about Marko Soldo over in Croatia. Not because he is yet to nail down any particular role in NK Osijek’s own midfield, however, but because Soldo proving to be equally impressive in just about every area of the pitch.
This season alone, Soldo has been utilised in defensive and attacking roles in the centre of the park. The Croatia Under 21 international has even filled in at centre-half on one occasion while, back in 2023/24, he could also be spotted patrolling the right-hand flank.
Rangers target Marko Soldo is the complete midfielder
Rangers News can exclusively reveal that Marko Soldo is a target ahead of the January transfer window. The Glasgow giants have scouted him on more than one occasion, while a rumoured price-tag in the region of £2.5 million should not put the 21-year-old out of Gers’ reach financially.
Speaking to Germanijak in his Croatian homeland, Soldo admits that, despite starting out in a more defensively-minded role, he has taken to his more forward-facing spot like a duck to water.
An argument he can back up by pointing to a tally of four goals and four assists in the current Croatian league campaign – already a career-best return in both departments.
“The number six has been my primary position since I was younger,” Soldo explains. “But I used to play as an attacking midfielder even then, so that role was not foreign to me. In Osijek, I often play as a number eight. Sometimes, I go to the number ten position.
“I have no problem adapting to the coach’s demands, all for the sake of a good result. And [being in close] proximity to the opponent’s goal suits me. I get more chances to assist and score.”
Rangers appear to have placed an extra emphasis on versatility in recent transfer windows.
Clement highlighted Diomande’s tactical flexibility when he arrived initially on loan back in January 2023. Nedim Bajrami can play as a winger or a number ten, while Neraysho Kasanwirjo and Dujon Sterling have featured just about anywhere in the defensive third.
Marko Soldo would bring ‘extreme’ power to Ibrox
Germanijak, meanwhile, highlights Soldo’s rare combination of creativity, athleticism and intelligent movement out of possession. If there is a weakness in his game, however, it’s when he is asked to pull the strings from a deep-lying playmaker role, with Soldo struggling to exert his usual influence in that position for Croatia’s Under 21 side.
“He can be in charge of defensive stability, for creation, or to have the role of a box-to-box midfielder, who is powerful in running, attacks the space in the attacking phase,” Germanijak explain.
“The way he was used in the Croatian U21 national team, where coach Ivica Olic asked him to be a player responsible for creating and dictating the tempo. This is definitely not a context that suits him.
“Soldo is a modern midfielder who can be found all over the field and who is clearly good at positions that are not his natural. And that says enough about the character trait he carries within himself and his ability to adapt.
“He is also extremely powerful and versatile physically.”
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