Rangers Opinion: Why the Gers should break the bank for Jake Cooper?
Back in July 2018, a report from the Sky Sports claimed Rangers had made a bid of £3million for the highly-rated centre-back, only for Millwall to snub their advances.
Jake Cooper, 24, made 42 appearances for Millwall last season and was part of the joint-third strongest defence in the Championship. He has been a pillar at the back again for the Lions, managing an eye-catching five goals and six assists in 37 league games so far in the 2018/19 campaign.
And the defender was rewarded for his impressive performances in December with a new long-term contract. Regardless of Jake Cooper signing a contract extension, Rangers should reignite their interest and make a big-money move for the centre-back this summer.
Rangers went on a summer spending spree to back manager Steven Gerrard in his debut season at Ibrox. Gerrard should be credited for bringing a lot of improvement in the team but if his team are to catch Celtic, they need to go on another spending spree this summer.
The Gers are ten points behind their arch-rivals Celtic, who are comfortably sitting at the top of the table. There is a clear gulf in terms of quality between both the sides and Gerrard at least needs a couple of transfer windows to get his squad efficient enough to win the Scottish Premiership title.
Despite already signing defenders Jon Flanagan, Connor Goldson and Nikola Katic, Borna Barisic, Gareth McAuley and Joe Worrall, the defence hasn’t been great for the Light Blues. Katic and Goldson formed an excellent partnership at the start before the former lost his form.
Worrall—on loan from Nottingham Forest—hasn’t been consistent besides Goldson, while McAuley’s one-year contract at Ibrox will expire at the end of the season.
It is fair to say that Goldson, snapped up from Brighton, has been the club’s best centre-back this season and Gerrard needs to solve the dilemma of who to play alongside him from the next campaign.
Jake Cooper would be a perfect partner for Goldson at the heart of Rangers defence, providing a much-needed physicality in the side.
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Cooper has proven himself to be a real top class performer over the past 18 months, establishing himself as one of Championship’s best defenders this season.
The 24-year-old is a ball-playing defender, known for his ability to launch attacks from the back. He is aerially very strong and is a massive threat from set-pieces, scoring five and setting up six goals alone this season.
Verdict
Still only 24, Cooper is yet to hit his prime and will only get better with time. As he has signed a new long-term deal with Millwall, Rangers should spend big for his services as the defender could turn out to be a huge asset in the long run.
