Everton's Tom Davies is rumoured to be on Rangers' radar for a transfer this month, with Michael Beale full of praise for the English midfielder.
Trying to keep up with Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic, Rangers are looking to improve their squad in the January transfer window, with Beale revealing he's spoken to 'two or three' possible transfer targets so far. Norwich City's Todd Cantwell is one of the names that have been linked with the Light Blues, but Everton's Davies is another, with Beale comparing the 24-year-old to current Rangers midfielder John Lundstram.
Davies has managed four starts in the Premier League for Everton so far this season, and after starting just two games throughout the entirety of the 2021/22 campaign, the midfielder may be keen on a move away from Goodison Park. Speaking about Davies, Beale said : "Tom Davies, he used to kick my Liverpool Under-23s team all around the place. There's a bit of John Lundstram about him.
READ MORE: We 'signed' Todd Cantwell for Rangers in January transfer with trophy success for Michael Beale
So, if Rangers were to sign Davies from Everton this month, how could the 24-year-old fare at the Ibrox? We simulated the rest of the season to try and find out.
We 'signed' Tom Davies for Rangers as a January transfer
To set up this simulation, we used the Football Manager 2023 editor to arrange for Davies to make the move to Glasgow this month, using FM23 to run the simulation. We then ran the remainder of the 2022/23 season to see what sort of impact the Englishman could have under Beale.
Davies was slotted into the Rangers midfield instantly in the simulation, becoming a regular in Beale's side across all competitions. In his first six months with the club, the 24-year-old made 21 appearances in all competitions, with 20 of them starts.
The competition where he appeared most was the Scottish Premiership, with the midfielder making 17 starts and a further one appearance from the bench. Davies scored two goals in that time, also registering a pass completion percentage of 86% and a tackle success of 77%.
But, his best competition was the Scottish Cup, where Davies averaged a rating of 7.77 per game, scoring twice in three appearances. Overall, he averaged a rating of 7.02 across both competitions, making him Rangers' sixth-best player based on average rating in the 2022/23 season.
Defensive duo Connor Goldson and James Tavernier were the two best players at the club during the season, whilst Glen Kamara was the best midfielder, averaging a rating of 7.18 per game. Ianis Hagi was the fourth-best despite making just three starts, whilst Antonio-Mirko Colak was the Light Blues' top scorer for the season, managing 19 goals.
At the end of the 2022/23 season, Football Manager 2023 put together an overall best Rangers XI, based on performances, statistics and other metrics. This is what it looked like:
Full Rangers best XI: (3-4-2-1): McGregor; Tavernier, Goldson, Davies, Barasic; Davies, Kamara , Lundstram ; Fashion, Colak, Kent.
Davies made the Rangers best XI from the 2022/23 season, beating the likes of Scott Arfield, Ryan Jack and Steven Davis to a spot in the midfield three with Kamara and Lundstram. Ryan Kent and Fashion Sakala joined Colak in attack, with Alfredo Morelos not making the best XI squad.
Rangers' results with Davies
After arriving in Glasgow, Davies helped Rangers become a much better side, with the Gers remaining tight on Celtic's tail all season and closing down the gap between the two sides. The race for the title went down to the final few games of the season, and against all odds, Rangers won the Scottish Premiership crown.
Celtic hit a run of poor form towards the end of the campaign, the same time Rangers excelled and managed their best string of results all season. After 38 games, Rangers tallied 83 points, one more than Celtic in second.
The Gers weren't as strong going forward as the Hoops, but Beale's side had the best defence in the league, conceding just 28 all season. Rangers couldn't add to their Scottish Premiership success though, with Celtic winning both cup competitions.
The Old Firm rivals met in the Scottish Cup quarter-finals, but after a 1-1 draw, Celtic won on penalties with Davies missing the decisive spot kick. Rangers also faced the Hoops in the Viaplay Cup Final, but a Kyogo Furuhashi brace secured a 2-0 win for Ange Postecoglou's side.
Overall, FM23 predicts that Davies could be the perfect fit for the Rangers midfield, with the 24-year-old playing a big role in helping the Light Blues win the Scottish Premiership trophy in the simulation. His addition added great depth to the Rangers midfield, whilst he also managed a decent goalscoring record, despite playing in a deeper role for Beale's side.
Do you think Davies would be a good fit at Rangers ? Let us know below!
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