If a report from SunSport is believed to be true, Rangers have identified Metinho as one of their transfer priorities. The club will have cash flow in the summer in the wake of the imminent takeover from 49ers Enterprises and Andrew Cavenagh, and the American owners are keen to fend off interest from the English Championship by snapping up the Brazilian.
Born in DR Congo, the 22-year-old midfield ace moved to Brazil at the age of 1. He progressed through Madureira and Fluminense’s academy ranks before breaking into the latter’s senior squad in March 2021. However, the youngster joined French side Troyes for €5m to experience European football a few months later.
While he has yet to break into their first team, loan stints in Belgium with Lommel, Sparta Rotterdam in Eredivisie, and the ongoing one at FC Basel since late January have helped him develop his game with regular minutes. Metinho has cemented a starting status deep down the midfield and contributed to their Swiss Super League triumph ahead of schedule.
Once dubbed as ‘the Brazilian Paul Pogba’, the Selecao sensation was called up to train with the national team in November 2020 during his boisterous youth stint with Fluminense at the age of 16. Although he is still very young and holds a lot of promise, his move to Europe was a bit too early. It slowed down his natural progression, but the experience of playing in multiple countries must have prepared him for the next career move.
With his contract at Troyes expiring in 12 months, the club, a part of City Football Group, would cash in on Metinho rather than losing him for nothing next year. A fee of around £4m should see Rangers secure his services, and the new owners could sanction the transfer even before recruiting a new manager to succeed interim boss Barry Ferguson.
Why Rangers Should Snap Him Up This Summer
The Gers have Nicolas Raskin, who has shown both his composure and aggression in the centre of the pitch. The rumoured temptation of Premier League football could be too difficult to resist, and the Brazil prodigy might be roped in either to partner with the Belgian or to emulate his success as a ‘number six’.
Besides Raskin, Rangers have Connor Barron as the deep-lying playmaker. Mohamed Diomande fits better as a box-to-box or ‘number 10’ option, and Bailey Rice, their 17-year-old emerging prospect, is not ready yet to feature week in and week out. Loaned out pair José Cifuentes and Kieran Dowell do not have a future at Ibrox after failing to impress as the deep-lying playmaker, and the club, therefore, must pursue the Metinho deal to inject flair, freshness and finesse in the middle of the park.
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