5 realistic Rangers signings as fertile Dutch Eredivisie scouted for "Oranje" revolution's second act

Rangers have a rich history with the Dutch, with the famed revolution during the late 1990s and early 2000s under Dick Advocaat, to the contemporary leader, Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

For the vast majority of the club's history, the Eredivisie's top talent has been beyond our grasp due to a series of playing and financial reasons - and that continues to be true. As such, those who turn out in the clours of Ajax, Feyenoord, and PSV, for the most part, are simply out of our reach.

Conversely, this does not mean there is a dearth of prospective talent outside the big three who could and operate within our new framework.

Ibrox is in the midst of the "Oranje" revolution's second act; as such, let us look at five players currently playing in the Netherlands, whom our Dutch leadership could and should look to bring to the club.

Ramiz Zerrouki, FC Twente

Rangers were extensively linked with a Dutch-Maghrebi centre midfielder during the most recent summer window, namely Abodu Harroui; however, he swapped Rotterdam for Sassuolo. I saw Harroui as an ideal target for the midfield three throughout the summer, as he exudes a set of skills that we seldom see within our most common trios.

Although FC Twente's Ramiz Zerrouki is Algerian, not Moroccan, and far more defensively-focused than the aforementioned Harroui, he would be a similarly clever piece of business. This is an opportunity for Rangers to tender a similar level of interest, if not more, this January or June. Zerrouki's was the subject of some debatable interest from Spurs, which came to nothing, with reports suggesting it was the player who wasn't interested in the move, although, as you know, any EPL-related headline writes itself.

Zerrouki profiles as a classical 6; he is strong in the tackle and secure in possession but lacks a tangible and consistent end product. In general, he lacks any real influence in the final third. The graphic above shows the positions that Zerrouki has played in his career, with defensive midfield accounting for a majority of the minute share whilst also spending minimal but not insignificant time on either side of central-midfield. At Rangers, he would likely slip in at the bottom of a diamond in a 433 or, as the more defensive focused partner in the double-pivot, think the areas that Steven Davis inhabits.

Additionally, he maintains this largely risk-averse attitude when passing the ball, which he does at a pretty average level regarding p90 and accuracy. Despite this, he is still capable and does play the odd long diagonal from deep, similar to what we have come accustomed to from Conor Goldson.

Despite talk of him lacking genuine end product, Zerrouki is surprisingly dangerous from set-pieces. He will challenge the keeper and sometimes score from free-kicks. Despite this, the criticism regarding his creativity is merited, and a facet of his game he must improve if he wants to play at a higher level, albeit Scotland is not, so at his current level he should be fine. Something that will have to change is how often he commits fouls as he is currently maintaining a foul differential of -1.03 p90; something that is supremely irritating but somewhat understandable given his role.

The earlier Spurs stories felt a tad outrageous. However, any potential links to a move to Glasgow should be encouraged as Zerrouki has the sort of game that Ibrox would appreciate and age is on his side.

Jayden Oosterwolde, FC Twente

Throughout much of the past four years, left-back has been an area of little concern, as a rejuvenated Borna Barisic played like Croatia's starting LB and Calvin Bassey encouraged in what little splurts he was afforded. The same cannot be said now. Barisic has returned to his rusty 2018/19 form, and Bassey, at the time of writing, seemingly has a career at centre-back over the flanks.

Considering this, recruitment in this area is likely of interest but not an immediate concern. For me, there is one clear option in the Netherlands that fits the bill, FC Twente's Jayden Oosterwolde. At 20, Oosterwolde has seen just over 3000 first-team minutes, with a majority coming at LB. However, a small portion has come at LCB, as the graphic below would suggest. Much like our own Calvin Bassey, Oosterwolde's impressive physique, pace, and technique mean that he can easily play both positions. However, his skillset, more so than the Nigerian's, is accustomed to the wing.

Oosterwolde profiles as the modern fullback, dangerous when moving the ball, effective in the final third, and defensively sound but not without some concerns. Oosterwolde would continue the Rangers tradition of creating laterally, as his xA of 0.1 p90 suggests that he is a genuine creative threat. This, coupled with his incredibly high through balls p90 output, would indicate that he would be inch-perfect in a GVB system where wingers play high and wide and enjoy running on to progressive passes. He can also play impromptu winger given his ability to take a man on, corroborated by some impressive dribble p90 and dribble success stats in the graphic below. Defensively he is positionally sound and is consistent if not over-enthusiastic in the tackle. As such, he gives away more fouls than you would want, maintaining a -0.82 foul differential p90; however, given his youth, this is somewhat expected. Despite his overwhelmingly encouraging sings in possession, he does remain somewhat inconsistent. However, yet again, this can largely be explained by his youth.

Borna Barisic has been one of my personal favourites during his tenure at Ibrox; however, the hallmark of effective recruitment is replacing players before it's truly needed, and for me, attracting Oosterwolde to Ibrox this summer would be a perfect piece of business.

Quinten Timber, FC Utrecht

Both Timber twins have used the 21/22 season as their coming of age party, with Jurrien placing his name amongst the best young CBs in Europe, whilst Quinten has made his case to be much more than just the "other" twin. He left Ajax this past summer to join Utrecht. In turn, he left his brother and the only club he's ever known; however, the move south has proved to be a masterstroke for club and player alike.

In Timber's young career, he has played all over the pitch, which is the expectation at Jong Ajax. Despite this, it appears that he is most comfortable in the centre of midfield, albeit slightly deeper than your traditional centre-midfielder yet more progressive than a defensive-midfielder. However, for lack of confusion, the graphic below says defensive.

As expected from someone positionally versatile, Timber mixes several skills to form a unique and dangerous game. First, the area in which he truly excels is on the ball, preferably in the opposition's half. It is here where his passing range and technique are on full show. The statistic below corroborates the idea that there are few midfielders more effective than Timber in this season's Eredivisie.

Encouragingly, he meshes genuine creative threat with security. As for all passing statistics, he maintains an above-average accuracy. He is also defensively sound, albeit from a limited sample size. For the most part, Timber is more progressive than destructive. Despite this, his defensive duel success rate is in the top 95th percentile. His aerial duel success doesn't lag much as it sits at the 84th percentile.

The minor criticism you can hurl towards Timber is circumstantial primarily and related to his lack of first-team experience. The only real complaint of merit could be that he is not as defensively active as one would like; however, a player can only be in so many places at once.

Timber has only spent six months in Utrecht. As such, the club would likely drive a hard bargain; however, for the right price, Rangers should pounce whilst they can, as it seems likely that we may see each other Timber twin face-off in the Champions League at one point.

Tesfaldet Tekie, Fortuna Sittard

The third and final CM in this five-man shortlist comes in the form of Fortuna Sittard's Tesfaldet Tekie. The one-cap Sweden international was subject to serious interest from FC Utrecht and the Bundesliga's FC Koln. However, he has stayed put in the South for the time being. The Swede plays mainly to the right of centre, but like those before him in this article, he can deputise in a second and even third position. As the graphic below suggests, these take the form of left centre-midfielder and as a defensive midfielder.

Interest in Tekie is not surprising, as his game is impressive and aesthetically pleasing. The best adjective to describe the Swede is tidy. His movement on the ball is both practical and attractive, largely the reason I describe him as smooth.

His movement stats in the graphic below are impressive across the board. He is not only a threat when moving with the ball; instead, his other defining characteristic is his vast passing range, which often leads to a chance being created.

Tekie has managed 0.17 assists p90 over the past 12 months, an impressive output for a winger or attacking midfielder, let alone a sitting centre-midfielder. In addition, offensive duel success % is ranked in the 94th percentile, supporting the assertion that he is effective and influential in attacking affairs.

Despite there being overwhelming positives within his game, he has a few areas that need immediate attention if he wants to step up a level. His whole defensive game is a tad undercooked; in part, this is due to his slight frame and inability to do much aerially. In general, he could do with increasing the tempo when out of possession, albeit he does well when it comes to intercepting the ball.

Tekie would not arrive and immediately dethrone one of the Rangers starters, as he is not a noticeable upgrade on Davis, Kamara, or Jack. However, he would provide strength in depth and some much-needed creativity in the centre for a fee likely smaller than expected for a player of his skill.

Inigo Cordoba, Go Ahead Eagles

There are mixed reports over the terms of the loan that sent Cordoba from Athletic Club to Go Ahead Eagles, but what is undeniable is his quality. Some say that the winger can be recalled in January with Athletic Club wanting roughly £1.5m for his services.

Reports suggest a purchase option was included in the loan agreement and the Dutch club can exercise it upon the season's end. To add fuel to the fire, both Stuttgart and Hertha Berlin have reportedly tendered interest in the forward. The only certainty is that Rangers should look into throwing their hat in the mix.

Cordoba is firmly a winger, with a natural preference for the left side, which is expected given his preferred foot is his right, supported by the graphic above. This season, Cordoba has been performing like an elite striker despite playing on the flank.

At the time of writing, his goalscoring metrics are incredible, with his goal conversion, shots p90, xG p90, and non-penalty goals p90 all above the 80th percentile, as seen in the graphic below.

Goalscoring is undoubtedly his most significant asset; however, his tenacity and effort out of possession is a close second. His 9.54 successful defensive actions p90 is tied 2nd for highest amongst his positional peers in the Eredivisie and higher than what Timber and Tekie manage on a p90 basis.

Cordoba's creative and passing numbers are borderline paradoxical. His output is supremely impressive when it comes to xA, through passes, and progressive passes. Yet, his accuracy numbers are dreadful and of the utmost concern. If he can maintain the status quo, you would take it; however, poor accuracy numbers are the footballing equivalent to smoke even if his limited number of successful passes are effective.

Cordoba is firmly in the midst of a purple patch, so monitoring how he fairs in the next six months will be interesting.

Suppose he manages to maintain his output somehow, in that case, Rangers should chance their luck, but on the flip side, if he continues in this form, expect him back in the fold in Bilbao.