Four seasons is a long time in football and being linked to a player in the past doesn’t mean that Rangers should try to sign them for Philippe Clement.
The Gers boss will want to strenghen in the summer and there are particular positions where depth and quality isn’t what it should be in the current squad.
Sometimes, the timing isn’t right, but on this occasion it could be if Rangers sign someone who Philippe Clement is in desperate need of.
Rangers should go back for former target Dejan Ljubicic
Against Ross County we saw exactly what our biggest problem is.
Even in good games there have still been problems.
The biggest being that our midfield looks like a leaky sieve with John Lundstram at its base.
When you think about Lundstram’s best performances since joining on a free transfer, when have they been?
Usually, with either Ryan Jack or Steven Davis alongside him, mopping up and putting out the fires whilst Lundstram does what he does best – goes box-to-box.
He’s not a natural number six.
Someone who is has been to Ibrox before and made an impression.
Dejan Ljubicic played for Rapid Vienna in that famous game that featured Daniel Candeias doing it all by himself to set up Alfredo Morelos, he must have impressed Steven Gerrard because he was linked with a move to Ibrox shortly afterwards.
At 26-years old, the Austria international has spent the last four seasons in the Bundesliga with Koln.
Playing, predominantly, as he did for Rapid, as a defensive midfielder.
At 6ft 3inches tall, Ljubicic has a physical presence that allows him to play as a centre-half, but it’s his ability on the ball that is most impressive.
Cast your minds back and, as a fresh faced youngster, he scored the goal against Rangers that knocked us out of the Europa League group stages.
He’s not a regular goal scorer, although he has the technical ability to play as a number eight if he needs to.
Ljubicic is exactly what we should be looking for and he could be available.
Koln are sitting second bottom in the Bundesliga and Ljubicic has just a year left on his current deal.
If he is going to move, it will be this summer with him being able to discuss a pre-contract agreement next January.
When you think about what Lundstram tries to do, Ljubicic does it naturally.
That he is 6ft 3 is an additional benefit for the physical and direct nature of Scottish football – it might also let us score a few more goals at set plays.
