5 Rangers transfer options from Eastern Europe: David Silva clone and perfect Barisic replacement

Football and the production of footballers are primarily dominated by those on the very east, very west, very south, and the very north of Europe.

Those who border the Atlantic seas in the west and the landmasses of Asia in the east are most often lauded for their factory-like output of top footballers. As such, the middle is often neglected.

Projects like RB Salzburg are doing well to lift the football profile of Europe's centre, which spans from Austria in the west to Romania in the east.

One specific block of countries within this arbitrary area is the Visegrad four, which is the topic of this article.

Adrian Gryszkiewicz, Górnik Zabrze

A common theme running throughout all of my recruitment articles this season has been the need for Rangers to secure a new, preferably young centre-back, as it appears likely that at least 2 of our current CBs will be heading out of the door come the summer.

The emergence of Bassey as a central option during Helander’s and Balogun’s injury does ease the load in the short term; however, if he is to make the permanent switch, recruiting a left-back would then be important. No matter which way you shift it someone needs to come in this summer, and Gornik Zabrze’s Adrian Gryszkiewicz would offer a shrewd, versatile, high-upside option. As the graphic below suggests, Gryszkiewicz splits time between left-back and a left-sided central defender, however, he is without a doubt more comfortable as the latter.

An apt summary of the 22-year-old would be that he is a smart and aggressive defender but often risks cautions, breaking lines and positions. As expected, given his ability to play on the left he is comfortable in possession both when passing the ball and moving with it between his feet. The movement and attacking segments on the graphic below show this explicitly, as he is in and around the upper half of the percentile for almost all of the individual metrics. Additionally, he mixes this ability on the ball with a commanding physique which allows him to maintain control over his man even if he is occasionally dragged out of possession. His creative passing stats are incredible, evidenced by the bottom three passing metrics within the passing segment, all well within the 80th plus percentile of the sample size.

All this makes Gryszkiewicz an attractive prospect for Rangers, but when you add the fact that he is just 22 and that his deal runs out in June 2022, by extension he could come to Ibrox in the summer for free or in January for a negotiated pay-out.

Pavel Bucha, Viktoria Plzen

The very first set of articles I wrote around this time last year focused on players who Rangers could and should sign in the summer of 2021, and a player who I left out on grounds that he might be unattainable was Plzen’s Pavel Bucha.

Since then he has continued to perform well, and from positions all around the midfield as seen in the graphic below. He signed a contract extension in September extending his deal to the Summer of 2024 though financial problems at the Czech club may force them to sell prematurely.

The graphic below profiles Bucha as a fantastic creative midfielder who specialises further up the pitch as opposed to out of possession. Five of his six attacking metrics around in the top half of the sample size, with xG, Offensive Duels p90, and touches in the box p90 all falling above the 80th percentile. His ability to dribble is decent but is always a second option behind passing the ball. That very passing ability is the main reason why Bucha is such a coveted midfielder. He would offer something different in regards to a mix of deep progression and final balls which aren’t seen in the current Rangers squad. In the 2019/20 season StatsBomb claimed the 23-year-old was the closest match to Man City’s outgoing David Silva in a statistical sense, one of the best co-signs a creative midfielder can get.

August was the perfect time to test Plzen’s nerve for Bucha as they were just put out of the UECL qualifiers and have been in the midst of serious financial problems. The recent contract extension is likely just a means to improve their asking price, one that I think Rangers should seriously consider matching.

Eldar Civic, Ferencvaros

Rangers have been well-served by Borna Barisic during his lengthy tenure at Ibrox. Whether on his own accord or due to an attractive bid, it appears more likely than ever that the Croatian international could head to pastures new, likely the EPL or Serie A.

Replacing him would be a difficult task. However, this season's form has dipped somewhat, leading some to think that finding his heir apparent might not be as difficult as it seemed just 12 months ago. There is an interesting discussion in recruitment circles about whether singing a like-for-like replacement for an outgoing player is the best course of business. If you believe in that theory, then getting Eldar Civic in on a free this summer to replace a potentially outgoing Barisic would be the summer's best piece of business. The graphic below shows that he is primarily an LB but can deputise further forward.

Further similarities are immediately apparent when you look at the radar below. Despite playing for a less dominant side in Ferencvaros, Civic manages to better Barisic in the majority of categories, specifically excelling in the final third creation and offensive efficiency. The 25-year-old's main strengths mirror Barisic’s. He is an effective crosser of the ball and, in general, has an excellent final ball and feel for his team’s offence. Defensively he is less solid than Barisic, fouling more and appearing to be in less control than Croat. Regardless, he is a competent defender, with an overall game more than good enough to compete and excel in the Scottish Premiership.

For no transfer fee, this is an excellent short-term low-risk move, but should only be explored in the event Barisic leaves. If he remains at Ibrox, I would advise against travelling to Hungary to convince Civic to join the project.

Andras Schafer, Dunajska Streda

A name or a face you may recognise from the most recent Euro's is Hungary's, Andras Schafer. If you remember him but not from the Euros, you are unique; you are a Slovak football fan.

Schafer currently plays for the Slovak team, Dunajska Streda, whom some of you may recognise as the club from which Celtic recruited Vakoun Issouf Bayo. Beyond Bayo, the side has also produced Eric Ramirez, a forward who left for Dynamo Kyiv last season after a productive and prolific final season in Slovakia.

The 22-year-old follows in an already established route up the food chain but is likely destined for greater things than either the Ivorian or Venezuelan forwards have achieved to date. Schafer has already enjoyed a stint in Serie A but failed to make his mark, a sizeable risk early in his admittedly young career. Regardless, he has rebounded well in Slovakia, where he plays around the midfield, as seen in the graphic below.

His performance in Slovakia this season has been phenomenal and largely off the back of momentum generated during the Euros. He profiles as an aggressive and attacking-minded box-to-box midfielder, similar to Scott Arfield and Ryan Jack mixed, albeit with better technical skills and a higher upside. The sea of yellow in the graphic below, especially within the attacking, movement, and passing rows, suggests that Schafer is more than ready for a step up.

Schafer could improve his final ball if he wants to consistently make splashes on the big stage as he did in the past summer. Regardless, his game is more than good enough for Rangers and Scotland. Any potential transfer could be seen as a quick pit-stop where Schafer is afforded the option to play in front of capacity crowds in Europe and win trophies, whilst Rangers can make a safe and relatively cheap investment should yield serious return in just a few years.

Schafer’s all-around game and age make him, to my mind, one of the best pieces of business Rangers could do this summer, even more so if we see some outward movement in this area of the squad.

Vladan Kovacevic, Rakow Czestochowa

We, as Rangers fans, have been lucky to witness two spells of the brilliance of Allan McGregor. Despite nearly being 40, he remains a very decent option in goals; however, it appears increasingly evident that Rangers will go in a different direction come summer, given the likelihood of his retirement.

Keeping the transition in-house is a suggestion that we will likely hear a lot, as many believe that either Jon McLaughlin or Robby McCrorie are good enough to take over the reins. I think that neither poses a credible long-term solution, although I would be content with giving either the keys. I'd prefer Rangers to go out and secure the services of a goalkeeper who is already good enough and has the potential to grow over a hopefully long tenure at Ibrox.

To my mind, few realistically fulfil this criterion as well as Vladan Kovacevic. The Bosnian goalkeeper recently left FK Sarajevo for Rakow Czestochowa and will likely move again soon, with a host of lower-level Serie A clubs linked with his signature. The graphic below does a fantastic job of summarising his game and ability.

Kovacevic is a tremendous shot-stopper with solid wrists and impressive reflexes, both contributing to his rank in the 89th percentile for prevented goals p90 in the Ektraklasa this season. Kovacevic is decent both with the ball at his feet and in his hands as he usually distributes quick and short to one of Rakow's three centre-backs.

The 23-year-old is active in his box, often coming to collect crosses and dominate his area in a general sense. However, he doesn't venture much further than that, as evidenced by his low rank in both interceptions and SDA. He is good enough on the ball for Rangers and to play within a heavily possession-based system on the ball.

The only concern is his English skills which are paramount for a goalkeeper, more so than any other position. I am unsure about his English ability, but I think his potential and current skills make the risk worth it but at a cost.

With both Schalke and Inter Milan linked in the past 12 months, I suggest Rangers act quickly and match any asking price up to £4m. I would back that investment to pay itself purely off his performances and eventually become even more profitable as he inevitably heads for a top-5 league.