As the tumbleweed blew across Murray Park, without a single reporter providing updates as the transfer window closed, one supporter suffered the ultimate nightmare- Selik signing a player that he had profiled.
Twitter geek Patrick Caskie likes to drill into the analytics to come up with transfer prospects for his club, keen to promote delusions the Rangers Review gave him a platform to share his views with subscribers to the Newsquest site.
A year ago Russian football was able to attract players from around the world, since February the traffic has been one way with Celtic snapping up two Scandinavians on their way out of Rubin Kazan.
Speculating over summer transfer targets, The Rangers Review profiled/drooled over the latest addition to the Celtic squad on June 29:
This article could have been populated exclusively by Rubin Kazan players, given the talent they boast within their ranks. The Tatar club’s relegation to the FNL was an embarrassment and one of 2021/22’s biggest shocks.
Given that Rangers are not precisely exhausted of options in the number six role, coupled with the rarity of getting someone of Oliver Abildgaard’s ability for a discount, this avenue is incredibly attractive.
The 26-year-old is a very tall and athletic midfielder, standing at 193cm and boasting good pace and strength. These physical tools are invaluable in the spine of any side, as he provides the duality of being technically and physically capable of playing in most shapes and against most opponents.
Despite being generally well-rounded, Abildgaard’s greatest strengths are progressing the ball and shuttling around the defensive third breaking up play. This is a perfect combination of traits as they are scalable to the European level and work well in tandem and within the Rangers midfield’s structure, shape, and roles.
The Dane is ranked in the top 80% of Russian Premier League central and defensive midfielders for his end-of-season rating, which is impressive given his side’s fate and the breadth of quality at his position in the division.
His long legs, decent pace, and positional sense make him a precious option in transition, stopping or delaying opponent charges. Below is an excellent example of that; before the tackle, he tracked the ball carrier from the other half before taking his time to choose to engage cleanly and successfully.
One could argue that what Abildgaard offers is primarily covered by the likes of John Lundstram and Ryan Jack, which is true in a sense. However, given Jack’s injury history, it would be reckless to suggest having two 6s would be overkill, especially given Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s use of two in domestic and continental play.
Also, for what it is worth, Abildgaard is, arguably, better than both. Rubin signed the Dane for £1.8m 24 months ago, and his value has gradually increased to today’s value of £6.3m.
Rangers obviously won’t be able to offer anything in that ballpark; however, given Rubin’s relegation and the general Russian context, his fee should be closer to 50-75% of that established value.
With potential departures elsewhere in the midfield, finances shouldn’t be much of a deterrent; spending upwards of £4m on Abildgaard would prove fantastic business and a great example of taking advantage of external circumstances.
Ibrox fans won’t see Abildgaard tomorrow but hopefully they’ll get to see the Dane playing a leading role in Scottish football over the coming months.
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Football is a funny old game #abildgaardhttps://t.co/T8HIzbl3EV
— Joe McHugh (@videocelts) September 2, 2022
Hah “upgrade”! By their own lips!
…I bet if you asked him now he’d say “Ew naw he’s pure pish byrawaenat…”