Allen revolution: Rating the seven Rangers first teamers in stunning reported clearout
COMMENT
Rangers are set to start a huge January clear out with as many as seven first-team players on their way out of Ibrox, according to a report. The
claim that director of football Mark Allen and manager Graeme Murty will oversee yet another rebuild of the Gers first-team squad after Pedro Caixinha's disastrous shopping spree last summer. With Caixinha sacked before Halloween, Murty has been put in charge until the end of the season at least and has already begun building his own squad with the signing of Declan John to a permanent contract, a season-long loan for QPR midfielder Sean Goss and the widely reported imminent signing of Jamie Murphy from Brighton. The Ibrox side have been ridiculously inconsistent so far this season with a number of Caixinha's summer signings looking completely out of their depth in Scottish football, leaving the Ibrox giants third in the Scottish Premiership. The reported clear out will leave less than half of Caixinha's summer signings still at Ibrox - little more than six months after they moved to the Gers - as Murty and Allen try build a squad capable of closing down leaders Celtic. Here,
Football Insider
looks at the seven players reported to be on their way out of Ibrox and assess if the Gers have made the right decision.
Click 'reveal' below to see the international midfielder Rangers are set to axe
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Carlos Pena
Carlos Pena looks set for a reunion with Pedro Caixinha in Mexico after the now-Cruz Azul manager was quoted as saying he was interested in bringing "Gullit" back to Liga MX. Pena isn't a bad footballer, he just doesn't suit the Scottish game. The 27-year-old arrived in Scotland with a big reputation but has failed to live up to it despite grabbing five goals in eight starts for the Gers. Expected to head back to Mexico on loan with a view to a permanent move and if Rangers can get the bulk of his wages off the wage bill - and potentially make the lion's share of the £2.2million spent to sign him back - it would make sense for everyone to part ways.
Football Insider verdict:
Sell
Click 'next page' below to see the veteran star Rangers are looking to move on
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Bruno Alves
Another who arrived with a big reputation but has failed to live up to it. The veteran defender came to Scotland on the back of lifting Euro 2016 with Portugal but hasn't really set the world alight in Glasgow. Steady enough - and has arguably been a big part of Rangers no longer looking like they are going to concede every time the opposition get a corner - but it's not really been worth the undoubted big money Alves is commanding. The Portuguese defender hasn't had his troubles to seek with injury either and if Rangers can find someone willing to take his wages on it should be a no brainer for the Gers.
Football Insider verdict:
Sell
Click 'next page' below to see the one-time Rangers mainstay whose Ibrox career appears finished
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Fabio Cardoso
Fabio Cardoso is probably the unluckiest player of the seven reported casualties of the Gers clear out. The 23-year-old was a mainstay in the starting XI before having his nose broken in the League Cup semi-final defeat by Motherwell and since then everything has gone downhill for the former Vitoria Setubal defender. A handful of substitute appearances since having his nose spread across his face haven't done much to help Cardoso get back in the side and he now appears to have fallen well down the pecking order at Ibrox. Given his age, Cardoso could still well mature into a quality defender for the Gers if given a chance to settle - but if someone is willing to take him off Rangers' hands and pay similar to what the Ibrox did to sign him in the first place, he'll likely be away.
Football Insider verdict:
Keep
Click 'next page' below to see the on-loan winger whose time at Rangers is over
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Dalcio
It's not Dalcio's fault he was nowhere near ready for the expectations of first-team football at Rangers when he joined on loan from Benfica. It's - maybe - not Dalcio's fault he was given the No 7 jersey which gave fans the impression he would be a regular first-team player. It is Dalcio's fault though that six months down the line and he's behind almost anyone you can think of in the pecking order for a place in the starting XI. His performance against Progres will live long in the memory after somehow making the Luxembourgish side's full-backs look like a pair of World Cup winning veterans against him.
Football Insider verdict:
Terminate loan deal
Click 'next page' below to see the on-loan winger who looks to have a new club already
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Aaron Nemane
The Man City winger never had the look of a first-team player and, like Dalcio, looked to be a bit over-whelmed by everything at Rangers. Nemane found some success in the club's Under-20's but never made any impace on the first-team squad and now looks set to head to Holland to join Go Ahead Eagles. Believed to have been signed by Mark Allen to give him experience of being in and around a first-team squad on a daily basis, the youngster doesn't seem to have kicked on and pushed the regular starters in Murty's side for a jersey.
Football Insider verdict:
Terminate loan deal
Click 'next page' below to see the striker who has barely played since arriving in Scotland
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Eduardo Herrera
Herrera has been involved in games regularly while never getting the chance to play long enough to actually impact games. Scottish football's most used substitute so far this season, Herrera could do with a run of games to get up to speed although the big striker does have his moments where you are left wondering if he's seen a football before. Like Pena, Herrera is expected to return to Mexico before too long and had he been given more games he could have been a much better signing. Despite having only been used sparingly in games, Herrera also found a second purpose at Rangers - translator for Caros Pena.
Football Insider verdict:
Sell
Click 'next page' below to see the international full-back who never looked comfortable at Rangers
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Lee Hodson
Lee Hodson should never have been a Rangers player to begin with. The Northern Irish international is, at best, a bog average Scottish Premiership defender and his performances for the Gers only backed it up. With promising youngsters coming through the club's Academy like Myles Beerman, Jordan Houston and others, should Rangers have needed a back-up full-back they would have been good enough. By all accounts he works hard and is a nice lad but that's not enough to cut it at a club like Rangers.
Football Insider verdict:
Sell In other Rangers news,
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