5 South American transfer targets Rangers should consider as 'cost-efficient' divisions scouted

From traditional big-hitters Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay to those more far-flung like Paraguay and Peru, there is a plethora of talent who dream of representing their country and themselves in Europe's premier club competitions.

Rangers have had an indifferent past at best when it comes to recruiting directly from the continent, with players like Sebastian Rozenthal and Federico Amato proving to be abject failures regardless of what way you twist it. However, these forays have been extremely limited, with the club preferring to operate in more familiar grounds around the European continent, and as a result, missing out on some hits, albeit some misses too. South America is far too large a region to analyse in a single article. As such, this piece will look at players from the countries that make up the "Southern Cone", albeit minus Brazil, as the talent is too abundant and exciting to limit to a supporting role. Regardless, let's profile some players playing in Peru, Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile, and Argentina, who would add cost-effective and undoubted quality and potential to the club.

Marcelo Allende, Montevideo City Torque

The Abu Dhabi petro-dollar influences a footballing institution in almost every continent, with the light blue and “city” combination landing in Uruguay’s capital Montevideo. Though Montevideo City Torque is yet to set Uruguay alight like their brothers in Manchester and Melbourne, they have made strides to take on the countries famous two, Penarol and Nacional. The proverbial jewel in this City group club is Chilean Marcelo Allende.

READ MORE: Three out of contract players Rangers could target in January to address squad disruption

The slender playmaker had a long and drawn out saga with Arsenal earlier in his career. As a 17-year-old, he embarked on three separate trials with the North London club before signing for Necaxa in Mexico. Allende joined the light blues in January 2020 and has been impressive so far in the 20 months he has spent in the capital.

Allende is mainly utilised as a 10 as this is where his creative output is at a maximum, although he has seen extensive minutes throughout his short career on the left of central midfield and has picked up scraps outside on both wings. Allende’s greatest weaknesses would be exposed in Scotland if he were left to fend for himself in the centre of midfield as he stands barely above 5’5 and is far from the strongest, and is not the most willing defender. He could slot in as an 8 in a midfield three similar to Aribo or Arfield; however, he lacks the industry to compete in that area of the pitch and would leave his two partners with far too much work to do.

As a 10, Allende can showcase his vast array of skills. His fast feet and impressive technique allow him to navigate tight spaces and thread passes, which the graphic above corroborates when the opportunity arises. Allende is also a good mover with the ball at his feet, proving to be very economical at winning fouls evidenced by his +0.36 foul differential p90. Overall, the graphic above suggests that Allende still has areas to master, and this is true, he is yet to become as much of an offensive threat as his talents would lead you to believe. Albeit if he were to play in the Rangers system, his numbers and output would naturally inflate given more exposure on the ball. Regardless, Allende's tools in his arsenal are more than enough to attract a club like Rangers to take a risk on the 22-year-old Chilean whose deal in Montevideo comes to an end in December 2023.

Yuriel Celi, Academia Cantolao

Peru is likely the country of the four with the weakest footballing pedigree and a history of developing top-end talent. However, the Andean nation has a stellar attacking talent pipeline. Successful graduates include Jefferson Farfan, Claudio Pizzaro, and Nolberto Solano, with Yuriel Celi being compared to the latter. When compared to the Newcastle legend, there is one glaring difference at this juncture in each of their respective careers. Solano, unlike Celi, dominated the Peruvian league with Sporting Cristal, whilst Celi has impressed at Cantolao, though nowhere near to the clinic 'Nobby' put on in his early years. Celi is still only 19 and could likely come close to replicating Solano's output if he spent a few more years in Peru. However, he is primed for a new challenge and, perhaps, a new continent, although European clubs will likely have to do battle with some of South America's top clubs, as both Racing Club and Sao Paulo registered interest.

Like Allende, Celi is most comfortable playing behind a striker as a 10, though he is also effective on the right-wing, where his commanding left-foot is most effective. The Peruvian has the required mentality to be a side's primer creator as he mixes bravery and the prerequisite short-term memory for any creative player to maintain their sanity and standards throughout a 90. Uniquely, Celi doesn't fall victim to the stereotypical slight of many South American prospects; he has a reasonably solid frame which should not act as any harbour for his ability to operate in Scotland. Celi has both the mental and physical capabilities to transition to European football successfully; nevertheless, what is paramount is that he improves his consistency and general end product, as the graphic below paints a picture of an efficient border-line ineffectual attacking threat.

The metrics in the graphic above are inherently damming as he only manages to eclipse the 50th percentile in 2 creative metrics. To any who have watched any amount of Celi play, this is no doubt surprising, as both his technique and vision are impressive and are obvious strong points of his game; however, for whatever reason, this has failed to translate into open play. Despite possessing a domineering left foot, Celi’s efficiency in front of goal in the past 12 months has been non-existent. He has put up an impressive xG p90 of 0.23 but has only actually converted that into 0.09 non-penalty goals p90, no doubt an area that his success will be largely contingent upon. Despite not possessing the most impressive statistical profile, Celi’s natural ability, coupled with the fact that his contract expires upon the year’s end and as such would be available for free, should push him firmly into ‘take-the-risk” territory for those within my hypothetical Rangers recruitment team

Jose Florentin, Club Guarani

In life and football, every so often, you stumble upon what you are convinced is the perfect replacement for one of your prized items which have seen better days. This is no slight on the effervescent Scott Arfield and his physical condition. Still, in my eyes, Club Guarani’s Jose Florentin would be the perfect replacement if not an upgrade upon the well-liked and skilled Canadian. For a quick side note, in my eyes, Paraguayan football is vastly underrated in the main. Paraguay is always a mere afterthought when it comes to the southern cone nations in a footballing sense, with most people’s exposure not going beyond Club Olimpia and Roque Santa Cruz. Beyond that, there is a talented and thriving under-belly with Jose Florentin, the perfect poster boy.

The left-footed Volante is found almost exclusively in central midfield with a slight penchant for the left side over the right, which is understandable given that his left is his preferred foot. Despite inhabiting the centre of the pitch on the team sheet, Florentin is everywhere but does his absolute best work towards the opposition's goal, where he has become a goal-scoring machine in the past 12 months. Florentin's impressive build, aerial ability, and lower-body strength allow him to be a force and put real effort on the defensive end whilst maintaining his critical attacking threat, akin to our own Joe Aribo. Florentin's supercharged efforts are also assisted by his footballing intelligence, allowing him to offer the most economical solution to almost all the problems he is posed with, whether that be navigating an open plain or closing down an opponent.

The graphic above is a work of art, as Florentin somehow manages to surpass the 50th percentile for a majority of metrics, a testament to his all-around game. What immediately grabs your attention is his attacking output; Florentin finds himself in the 90th+ percentile for the three goal-scoring metrics and touches in the box p90. His production is more akin to a decent forward than anyone in the midfield. When we move down a bit, Florentin’s creative/passing numbers continue to impress, albeit not up to the astronomical standard he set with his goalscoring. Florentin is valuable in the two main facets of creation. He is both an effective operator in the build-up with effective break passes and general build-up contributions whilst maintaining a credible threat at threading the needle in threatening positions, evidenced by his 0.15 assists p90. Florentin does let up a bit when it comes to his defensive output; however, he still maintains impressive contributions when it comes to interceptions, shots blocked and aerial ability, rounding out a statistical profile that is as balanced and impressive as they come. To put it simply, I think Rangers could benefit significantly by convincing Florentin to switch Asuncion for Glasgow.

READ MORE: 4 realistic Rangers signings as MLS scouted for bargains to 'supercharge' team

Adonis Frias, Defensa y Justicia

It is rare to see such a well-rounded CB prospect not garner significant attention from Europe’s elite procurers of talent. As such, Rangers have the opportunity to secure an investment that will surely see them get returns of at least 3 times over. Not to sound corny, but Frias puts the defensa in Defensa y Justicia, and played a pivotal role in their Copa Sudamericana triumph in 2020. The right-footed Argentine has played most of his career on the right side of a CB pairing, though he can move to the left and even play centrally in a three. Funnily enough, for the majority of his youth career, Frias was not deployed as deep as CB; rather, he was found across the midfield marshalling his sides and developing his on-ball skills. Frias is said to model his game after Sergio Ramos. The Spaniard’s influence is telligible, as Frias, like Ramos, is an aggressive, fast, ball-playing CB who offers a credible goal scoring threat.

Like many of Football’s elite CBs, Frias defensive metrics are wholly unimpressive; however, this is not a concern of much merit, as a mix of defensive stat’s lack of validity and his evident defensive acumen render this somewhat lacking in real value. Regardless, this option cannot be replicated for the rest of Frias’s output, as he is consistently seen in the 75th+ percentile for passing, movement and attacking, a feat similar to that of Balogun and Goldson within a Scottish Premiership sample size. Frias’s agility on evident quality makes him an unbelievably good dribbler and a valuable option when progressing the ball from deep his own half onwards. His physical stature also advantages him when out of possession, as he offers an effective option in a counter-pressing system and is a constant aerial threat.

Frias is not good purely due to his physical gifts and technical ability; he also regularly shows off an excellent understanding of the game and opposition movement. His anticipation and judgment are top-notch and largely responsible for his over 8pAdj Interceptions p90. Frias would offer a very appropriate replacement for Goldson, who at some juncture would likely leave for some sort of 8-digit figure. Frias also has a good pedigree working under legendary footballers, as he was a crucial cog in Hernan Crespo’s side. The initial investment to secure his services is likely to be quite steep in the range of £3-5m; however, the dynamics of this hypothetical move are overwhelmingly positive and encouraging.

Ignacio Saavedra, Universidad Católica

The Steven Davis conundrum is an interesting one. Despite still playing regularly for both Rangers and Northern Ireland, Davis is into his late 30s. It would surprise no one that a man of his class plans to bow out from the game on a high; as such, a successful 2021/22 season would offer a perfect end to his fairytale career. Replacing the Northern Irishmen is not fun to ponder and consider; however, someone will have to. An in-house is unlikely to come good, though John Lundstram has looked adept as the deep sitter in the midfield three, though he still wouldn't offer a like-for-like replacement.

READ MORE: How Brexit is changing Rangers' transfer policy and why could the club target South America?

If you head to Chile, Santiago, to be more specific, the diamond in the current Universidad Catolica midfield would be an apt replacement for our legendary servant. Ignacio Saavedra resembles Davis in the main and would provide the same calming metronomic presence as the Northern Irishmen. Saavedra is slightly more defensively inclined than Davis, which would be a welcome addition to the squad as we often find ourselves understaffed and exposed at the back in European competition. Saavedra has effectively only ever played as a DM, as the graphic below suggests. As such would be an appropriate fit to fill Davis's position at the base of the diamond.

Saavedra’s most outstanding quality is much like Davis’s, his security in possession. The Chilean is a very effective and safe option in the build-up, evidenced by his incredibly high and consistent pass accuracy stats below. Though somewhat limited, Saavedra still provides some sort of creative threat, as he can thread the needle and play in teammates. Saavedra bosses the middle phases of the game, as his ability to intercept the ball and then quickly distribute it is second to none, evidenced by his 8+ pAdj interceptions p90 and 78.81% forward pass accuracy. Saavedra’s technique is another strength as he can play balls for the first time and navigate tight spaces. These qualities would allow him to assimilate quickly into the midfield three and take over the reins from Davis. Saavedra also offers a serious aerial threat which is more so utilised in a defensive capacity, though it can pose problems for opposition defenders and keepers alike.

The greatest slight of Saavedra’s game is his somewhat underdeveloped attacking capacity. He does not offer a goal threat, and despite possessing the ability to, doesn't often create clear cut chances for his teammates, evidenced by some of the creative metrics above. However, if he were to arrive in Glasgow, these pressures would cease in the main, as his partners in the midfield three and the two fullbacks wide of him would do the heavy lifting. Like Frias before, Saavedra would be an astute transfer for two reasons: he would provide quality during his tenure and likely leave for serious profit.