OPINION
Steven Gerrard has done some great business this summer, bringing nine new faces to the club.
However, he hasn’t managed to land all his targets, most notably Harry Wilson, the Liverpool youngster who ended up on loan at Derby.
Another one that’s looking likely to slip through the net is Jake Cooper from Millwall, the 26-year-old centre-back who Gerrard set on making his tenth summer signing.
As the Mirror reported earlier on Wednesday (live transfer blog, 11.29am), Millwall have rejected a £3million bid from Rangers and won’t sell this summer.
Luckily, Gerrard isn’t wasting time on what-might-have-beens and is already looking at his next option – Blackpool’s Curtis Tilt, another no-nonsense centre-back who’s been turning heads in League One.
And this could turn out to be one of the best things that could have happened.
According to the Mirror, Rangers watched Tilt as he helped Blackpool keep a clean sheet at Premier League Burnley last night, in a 2-0 win.
And, if Rangers can bag Tilt and save themselves £2million into the bargain then they might have lucked out on missing out on Cooper.
One thing has become clear from the two Europa League qualifiers that Rangers have played against Shkupi – their defence is massively improved already on last season.
Allan McGregor was fantastic on Tuesday night, saving Rangers on a number of occasions. But, with Nikola Katic and Connor Goldson in the middle, Rangers are way more solid than they were. Tilt will add real depth to the squad.
The real problem is up the other end.
Alfredo Morelos looks lost and Josh Windass continues to frustrate, seemingly unable to put out a number of consecutive consistent performances.
We mentioned that Gerrard had missed out on Wilson from Liverpool, and while he has Umar Sadiq to bring into the side, he really needs another one or two players who can support Morelos and unlock the opposition.
With an extra £2million to play with – presuming a £1million deal for Tilt goes through – Gerrard will have many more options to choose from, even if it’s just paying higher wages for a loanee.
Goals have to be the priority now and missing out on Cooper could prove to be a blessing in disguise.