Glasgow Rangers recorded a fourth straight win without conceding a goal in all competitions as they secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Hibernian on Sunday.
Tom Lawrence, who brilliantly curled the ball into the top corner in the first half, scored the only goal of the game for the Light Blues, whilst Jack Butland saved a penalty just before half time.
Philippe Clement is looking to add to his trophy haul this season, having won the League Cup with Rangers last term, and was allowed to make wholesale changes to the squad during the summer transfer window in order to compete for silverware.
Head of recruitment Nils Koppen and the Belgian boss sanctioned the departures of experienced players like Connor Goldson, Borna Barisic, Kemar Roofe, Ryan Jack, and John Lundstram, among others.
Allowing a large contingent of the club’s players over the age of 30 opened the door for the Gers to invest in young talent in order to develop a team over the years to come.
Rangers invested in promising prospects who could grow with more game time at Ibrox and one summer signing who has hit the ground running, despite his young age, is Connor Barron.
Connor Barron's strong start to life at Rangers
The central midfielder arrived in Glasgow during the summer transfer window after his contract with Scottish Premiership rivals Aberdeen came to an end.
That allowed Rangers to snap him up, with compensation due to be paid for his services, and they appear to have hit the jackpot with the Scotland international.
Barron has started all six of the club’s matches in the Premiership so far this season and showcased his quality in and out of possession for the Light Blues.
The Scottish maestro has offered reliability on the ball for Rangers with a pass success rate of 91% and 59.8 completed passes per match in the league.
This shows that the central midfielder rarely gives the ball away and helps to keep play ticking, which allows him to dictate the tempo of matches and control games for Clement. He knows when to slow the game down with simple passes and when to speed it up with balls forward between the lines to start attacks.
Out of possession, Barron has buzzed around the pitch to break up attacks and disrupt the opposition with 3.2 tackles and interceptions and 4.0 ball recoveries per match.
Tackles per game
2.2
1st
Interceptions per game
1.0
1st
Clearances per game
2.7
1st
Blocks per game
0.7
1st
Pass accuracy
91%
1st
As you can see in the table above, the 22-year-old has been the outstanding defensive star of the Rangers midfield this season, whilst also being the most reliable passer in the engine room.
With the January transfer window coming up after the turn of the year, the Gers could look to land a dream midfield partner for Barron by dipping into the market to sign one of their reported targets.
Rangers' interest in Premiership starlet
During the summer transfer window, Football Scotland revealed that the Ibrox giants had sent scouts to watch Motherwell star Lennon Miller in action.
The report claimed that Clement was looking to revamp his squad with young talent and the then-17-year-old starlet fit the bill, having enjoyed a breakthrough season in the Scottish top-flight last season.
It was stated that Rangers were interested in signing the Scotland youth international and that they sent representatives to keep tabs on his progress in pre-season.
However, a move never materialised as the transfer window came to a close and Miller remained at Motherwell, as Rangers either could not afford to sign him or decided that they did not want to push for him in that particular window.
Speaking on the Open Goal podcast last month, James McFadden and Derek Ferguson both urged the Light Blues to swoop for the central midfielder next year.
McFadden claimed that the teenage star’s understanding of the game is “ridiculous” whilst Ferguson described him as a “big” and “strong” athlete, who could follow in Barron’s footsteps at Ibrox.
Clement and Koppen must now make a move for the Motherwell sensation when the January transfer window opens for business, as he could be a dream for Barron in midfield.
Why Lennon Miller would be a dream for Connor Barron
Firstly, the 18-year-old is another young Scottish midfielder who could develop and grow alongside his fellow Scotland U21 international at Ibrox.
This means that they could learn alongside each other and become the mainstay central midfield pairing for the club for many more years to come, barring any potential moves away for big money.
Miller, who Graham Dorrans claimed has a “bit of arrogance” in his play, could also be a dream for Barron because he offers an attacking threat from the middle of the park, which is a part of his game that the Rangers star is yet to show in Glasgow.
Appearances
6
6
Goals
2
0
Big chances created
4
0
Assists
2
0
Key passes per game
2.5
0.7
As you can see in the table above, the Motherwell star has produced four goals and assists in six outings, along with 2.5 key passes per game, whilst the Gers man has yet to register a single goal contribution.
This suggests that they could complement each other in the middle of the park as Barron could buzz around the pitch to win the ball back and provide a metronomic presence with his high pass accuracy, whilst Miller could push on and get involved at the top end of the pitch.
However, the 18-year-old gem has also made 2.7 tackles and interceptions per match and won 60% of his ground duels in the Premiership this term, after winning 68% of his duels across 25 league outings in the 2023/24 campaign for Motherwell.
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This shows that both players can hold their own defensively, making them a secure midfield pairing out of possession, and Clement must now swoop to sign Miller in January to form an exciting partnership for Rangers moving forward.