Rangers could secure a dream upgrade with swoop for £75k-p/w brute.
The centre-back has been touted for a move to Ibrox ahead of the January transfer window.
Glasgow Rangers head coach Philippe Clement has made a great start to life in Scotland with six wins in his first seven games in charge.
The Belgian tactician, who replaced Michael Beale at the helm of the club last month, is yet to taste defeat against the Light Blues since he arrived at the club.
The former AS Monaco coach is in impressive form as he has not yet had the chance to sign his players.
Clement has not had a transfer window to shape his team with the players he wants to perfectly execute the style of play he and his coaches want to deploy.
With this in mind, the upcoming January transfer window will be his first opportunity to sign and the Gers boss has shown interest in a Premier League player.
Rangers transfer news – Ben Godfrey Earlier this month, 90min reported that the Light Blues were among a number of teams interested in possibly signing Ben Godfrey from Everton earlier this year.
The newspaper says Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur are both monitoring his current situation at Goodison Park as they are long-time fans of the former Norwich City star.
It is also said that Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, Burnley and Rangers are also interested in securing his services, suggesting the Scottish giants have plenty of competition to beat.
Everton are said to be open to offers for the central defender, who has fallen down the pecking order under Sean Dyche and found minutes difficult to come by, although there is no mention of how much it would cost, or if they would be prepared to send him out on loan.
The Toffees signed the former England international from Norwich for a reported fee of £20m in the summer of 2020, after they failed to snap up Fikayo Tomori – now of AC Milan.
Rangers may not be able to compete for a permanent deal if Everton want to recoup that fee, particularly if the likes of Newcastle and Spurs are involved in a bidding war. However, a loan move to Ibrox to build up his confidence before a permanent exit next summer could suit all parties involved.
In that scenario, Clement could secure a dream upgrade on his current left-sided centre-back option Ben Davies, who arrived from Liverpool at the start of last season.
Davies did not rank higher than the top 52% of his positional peers in the competition for progressive passes (3.12) or progressive carries (0.69) per 90.
The central defender also, alarmingly, ranked with the bottom 8% of players in his position for his pass success rate of 79.6%, which shows that he gave the ball away far too often and did not retain possession well for the team.
He has done relatively little to improve that aspect of his performances in the Europa League, a lower standard of European football, so far this season.
Davies does not rank higher than the top 41% of his positional peers for progressive passes (four) per 90 and has not completed a single progressive carry in four appearances.
These statistics show that the left-footed enforcer has struggled to progress the team up the pitch, whether that be through his passing or dribbling, on a consistent basis.
This can be harmful to Rangers from an offensive and defensive perspective as his lack of progression could stagnate attacks and cause turnovers, from which their opponents can counter from to create opportunities of their own.
The statistics that show why Godfrey could be an upgrade on Davies
Godfrey has endured a rough couple of seasons at Everton and it would be harsh to judge him on his recent performances as the versatile ace has been played out of his natural position and had others preferred ahead of him at centre-back.
Ben Davies’ performance for Rangers
The English defender was signed by Giovanni van Bronckhorst to bolster his team ahead of their 2022/23 campaign, in the Scottish Premiership and the Champions League.
However, Davies did not prove himself to be an outstanding option at either level. Domestically, the former Preston North End star made 27 league appearances and averaged 0.8 interceptions and 0.9 tackles per game for his side, which ranked him seventh and 16th within the squad.
He also struggled in Europe with a dismal Sofascore rating of 6.23 across three Champions League appearances, in which time his passing left a lot to be desired.
He played the majority of his minutes throughout the 2022/23 campaign as a left or right-back, instead of at the heart of the defence, which did not allow him to display the best of his abilities.
However, his form for Carlo Ancelotti, who signed him in 2020, during the 2020/21 season suggests that there is an impressive defender to be unearthed there.
He averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.03 across 31 appearances and made 1.8 tackles and 1.1 interceptions per match for the Toffees, which immediately indicates that Godfrey could provide more defensive interventions than Davies at the back to cut out opposition attacks.
That season, the English brute showcased his progressive quality with 1.02 progressive carries per 90, which placed him in the top 23% of his positional peers at Premier League level.
All the way back in the 2018/19 Championship season, Godfrey was able to display his ball-playing abilities in a dominant team as he won the title with Norwich and ranked within the top 21% of his peers for progressive passes (3.35) per 90 and the top 13% for progressive carries (1.17) per 90.
These statistics show that the £75k-per-week titan is very capable of being able to consistently progress the ball up the pitch for his team, particularly by carrying it forward with his pace, strength, and dribbling qualities.
Couple that with his aforementioned defensive capabilities and the potential is there for the “immense” – as he was dubbed by famous Everton fan and boxer Tony Bellew – colossus to be a dream upgrade on Davies for Clement in January if he can recapture his best form in Scotland.
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