Rangers have been linked with Reading midfielder Josh Laurent recently, and should he make the move to Ibrox this summer, the midfielder could prove to be a Steven Davis-eqsue figure in Steven Gerrard's side.
According to The Sun, both Rangers and Brighton are considering a move for the 26-year-old, who has been very impressive in his debut season with the Royals, having joined from League One side Shrewsbury Town last summer.
The 26-year-old featured in all but one of Reading's Championship fixtures this season, contributing three goals and three assists in 45 league appearances, which helped him average an impressive 6.88 rating from WhoScored.
His performances earned him the supporter's Player of the Year award and manager Veljko Paunović was full of praise for him following the season's end, saying: “He’s had a fantastic season, I’m very happy for him and proud of his achievements. He’s worked hard and I think he has benefitted from the huge amount of personality he has."
Therefore, it is no surprise that Rangers are keeping an eye on the Englishman ahead of the summer, and if he were to join Gerrard's side this summer, he could be the ideal man to succeed Davis at Ibrox.
The 36-year-old was a key part of Rangers' title win this season, making 30 appearances in the Premiership and averaging an impressive 6.99 rating from WhoScored for his performances.
He was unsurprisingly rewarded with a new one-year contract in March to keep him at Ibrox ahead of their return to the Champions League next season, but it would be a surprise to see him still playing for Rangers in the 2022/23 campaign.
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Therefore, signing someone such as Laurent, who plays in a similar style to Davis, should definitely be something for Rangers to consider this summer, as the Reading man could come in and learn from the vastly experienced Northern Ireland international before eventually succeeding him in midfield.
WhoScored suggest that both Laurent's and Davis' main strengths include defending and concentration, whilst both are capable of featuring in defensive or central midfield.
The Reading man has averaged more tackles, more interceptions, more shots and more dribbles per game than Davis this season, which suggests that he is an all-action midfielder in the mould of the former Southampton man, whilst his solid 83.6% passing accuracy rate emphasises his ability in possession.
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Therefore, if Rangers are looking for someone to succeed Davis in Gerrard's side in the near future, Laurent could be the ideal heir, so Ross Wilson should definitely try and bring him in this summer.
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