Glasgow Rangers have already suffered their first setback in the 2023/24 Premiership title race, losing their opening match.
Michael Beale arguably set up his side far too narrow in the defeat to Kilmarnock and now thoughts turn to the Champions League qualifier against Servette at Ibrox on Wednesday.
While the seasons has begun, the transfer window is still open and Beale will be looking to offload a few more bodies in the coming weeks to trim the squad.
Does Scott Wright have a future at Rangers?
One player who looked certain to be departing the Light Blues was Scott Wright. The winger was being courted by Turkish side Pendikspor, and it appeared as though a £500k move to the continent was imminent.
In a surprising twist however, Wright turned down the chance to join the club and was then spotted in training ahead of the new season, appearing to be showing Beale that he wants to remain in Glasgow.
The winger was even included in Beale’s squad for the upcoming Champions League qualifiers. There is still time in the transfer window for him to seal a move away however and the manager will be looking at players who could potentially replace him.
Read the latest Rangers transfer news HERE…
Instead of spending money on another attacking player, Beale could turn to the academy instead, with Archie Stevens showing a lot of promise.
Who is Archie Stevens?
The 17-year-old plays in the same position as Wright, on the right wing and joined the Gers from AFC Wimbledon in June 2022 having been courted by a host of clubs, yet he felt Ibrox was the best place for his development.
The youngster didn’t take long to make an impression, as Giovanni van Bronckhorst gave him his senior bow just two months after arriving during a League Cup tie against Queen of the South last August.
The winger already has six caps for the England U17 side, scoring once, showing great promise, and he is clearly a confident individual, detailing his strengths in an interview last year.
He said: “I have enjoyed the games I have featured in so far. I play on the wing and my main attributes are my dribbling and speed.
“I am a positive player who likes to get forward and I like to think I am quite exciting to watch when I have the ball.”
This will stand him in good stead over the next few years and there are plenty of others who reckon he could make it to the very top, including his former academy manager Michael Hamilton, who stated:
“He’s a very attack-minded player, his stronger position is on the right, he scores goals, he creates some things out of nothing, he’s got the ability to beat two, three players at a time and creating so he’s a highly-effective player.”
High praise indeed for the then 16-year-old and this is an area Rangers could do with some talent coming through the ranks, especially following the departure of Ryan Kent along with Fashion Sakala and Wright potentially leaving.
The latter man failed to score and provided just one assist in 23 Premiership outings last season, with the 5 foot 9 dud seemingly struggling to make his mark on the flanks, thus allowing the likes of Stevens to usurp his place in the squad in the near future.
The teen gem may need some more experience for the B team, yet it’s evident his talents deserve some more minutes in the first team over the next couple of seasons.