After so long on the treatment table, an Old Firm derby meeting with Celtic – and with the Scottish Premiership title on the line – is hardly the ideal moment for one member of the Rangers squad to make his return to the starting XI.
But with managerPhilippe Clement confirming that Connor Goldson is likely to have played his final game of 2023/24 due to a knee injury. And now that Leon Balogun has picked up an issue of his own, the phrase ‘thrown in at the deep end’ comes to mind as Ben Davies prepares for his first league start since October in the most high-pressure fixture imaginable.
Davies, the former Liverpool man, has played only 45 minutes of top-flight football in the last seven months. His long-awaited return only came last week, the defender scoring off the bench in the 4-1 win over ten-man Kilmarnock.
Celtic – and Rangers’ long-time paralysis demon Kyogo Furuhashi – is an altogether more daunting task, however. And if there was not enough pressure on Davies’ shoulders already, Rangers on Thursday reportedly entered ‘advanced talks’ to sign a potential successor.
Rangers closing in on defender Jose Cordoba
According to RangersReview, discussions are accelerating fast regarding Jose Cordoba.
The Panama international, a left-footed centre-half like Davies, plies his trade in Bulgaria for Levski Sofia. Cordoba’s silky smooth displays have caught the eye of many clubs to the east, however, with the Glasgow giants looking to do what the did with Fabio Silva in January and steal a march on their rivals for a leading target.
“There is serious interest in our players,” Nasko Sirakov, Levski Sofia’s majority owner, said when asked about Cordoba’s future. “We may have to sign more than five new ones (to replace those who are departing).
“I do not sell cheap. (But) Jose, if he continues to perform like this, we will not have the moral right to keep him.
“There is a very serious interest in him. I had a conversation with him. I told him to think about the next (few) games and the preparations for the Copa America. Leave the rest to the club.”
Missing from training
Cordoba is valued at around £3 million, with only one year left on his contract. And, in reports that will pique the interest of Rangers supporters, Bulgarian publication DSport claim that Cordoba was not in training with the rest of the Levski squad on Friday.
The report does not clarify if Cordoba has an injury, or has picked up an illness. All they write is that ‘it is believed he will be sold’ in the summer transfer window.
Does his absence have something to do with the claims that Cordoba was at Ibrox to take in that Kilmarnock clash on May 5th? Did he stay in Scotland for a few more days, maybe, checking out houses and holding talks?
Of course, all of this is speculation. All we know is that, the day after reports said Rangers had entered ‘advanced’ talks, Cordoba was conspicuous by his absence from Levski Sofia’s pre-match training session.
Coincidence? It certainly doesn’t feel like one.
