Glasgow Rangers enter the international break having suffered confidence-draining defeats to both Celtic and PSV Eindhoven over the previous week which has threatened to derail their season before it really starts.
Michael Beale should have taken advantage of the recent poor form displayed by the Parkhead outfit and claimed a victory which would have allowed the Gers to leapfrog their Old Firm rivals and submit the first major blow of the season.
Out of his nine summer arrivals, Jack Butland is the only one who has really stood out as someone who will make a difference and although it is still early in the season, it speaks volumes for how Beale approached the transfer window.
How much did Rangers spend in the transfer market?
The Gers spent £14m during the summer while they managed to bring in £11.4m in from selling Glen Kamara, Fashion Sakala, and Antonio Colak.
While this may sound like an impressive figure to bring in during one window, the club failed to generate a major fee for just one player, something which looked like it was becoming a recurring theme, especially considering there have been three players who have departed the club for big money since January 2022.
First Nathan Patterson left the Gers for Everton for a deal which could reach up to £16m before Joe Aribo joined Southampton for £10m and Calvin Bassey secured a move to Ajax for a club record fee of just under £23m last summer.
Although it’s disappointing to lose excellent players, the player trading model allows the club to generate a major profit from either academy graduates or those who arrived for a modest fee and gives the manager funds to strengthen the team.
This didn’t happen in the summer transfer window and Beale may regret this as time goes on.
What is Nathan Patterson doing now?
On the surface, receiving a fee of £16m for a player who had made a grand total of 27 appearances for the club, which included just 15 starts is a sensational piece of business, yet there is a lingering thought of what might have been had Patterson remained at Rangers.
The youngster made his debut aged just 18 back in January 2020 against Stranraer in the Scottish Cup and reflected on his maiden appearance, saying: “It was surreal, walking out in front of 40,000 fans for the club I love, it was just a great feeling. I’ve been here for 10 years, I’ve now made my debut and want to keep pushing on.”
He went on to claim a Premiership winners medal during the 2020/21 season while even making his Scotland debut during his spell at Rangers, but the lure of the Premier League, along with the significant transfer fee, proved too much to turn down.
The 21-year-old has since made 27 appearances for the Toffees and has started all five of their matches under Sean Dyche this term.
He has grabbed one assist during his four league matches while currently ranking fourth across the squad for accurate passes per game and ranking first for tackles and sixth for interceptions per match, clearly suggesting that he is finally showcasing the form that saw Rafa Benitez splash out the money to sign him nearly two years ago.
Seeing Patterson really hit his stride in the Premier League will give Beale hope that he can produce players who may follow in his footsteps, generating the Ibrox side a major profit in the process.
Young full-back Adam Devine could be the next one cherry-picked by an English side in the coming years, thus becoming Beale's very own version of Patterson.
How good is Adam Devine?
The 20-year-old is a right-back who is also able to deputise on the left side of defence if required, offering versatility to Beale across his first-team squad which could become crucial as the season progresses.
After spending loan spells at Partick Thistle and Brechin City, Devine made just nine appearances for the B team before Giovanni van Bronckhorst handed him his Rangers debut against Dundee United in May 2022.
He impressed enough to secure his maiden start for the club just two games later during the final match of the 2021/22 season against Hearts and impressed during his 90 minutes on the pitch.
The youngster made one successful dribble attempt while also making six clearances, two tackles and one interception, proving that he wasn’t afraid of getting stuck in against players of a higher quality than he was used to.
Following these performances, he was lauded as “powerful” by Craig Vickers, and went on to sign a long new term contract in October 2022, taking him up to 2025.
It took a while for him to make his first appearance of the 2022/23 campaign, as he was forced to wait until Beale’s first game against Hibs in December, but after that then started the first three matches of his reign.
Beale evidently rated the defender highly, saying: “He’s a young player who has come into the team unexpectedly and is playing out of position. Physically and mentally he’s been challenged but he’s come up trumps."
He also added: "I think he will jump up 25% in his natural position, certainly in attacking areas of the pitch. The captain also needs to look over his shoulder and that’s what I want."
High praise indeed and across six appearances last term, Devine created two big chances, averaged one key pass per game and succeeded with 100% of his attempted dribbles, clearly demonstrating that he is an attacking full-back who looks to create chances whenever possible.
He also made 0.7 tackles per game and won one ground duel per match – a success rate of 67% – which underlines his defensive quality and that he is an all round player who could contribute effectively at both ends of the pitch.
Of course, he isn’t quite at the same level of Patterson, yet the more game time he gets, the better he will become and given the club will be playing twice a week until Christmas due to European commitments, Devine may just be about to secure more minutes in the coming months.
