Earlier this month, Glasgow Rangers reportedly made an approach to sign Josh Windass on loan from Championship side Wrexham to bolster their attacking options.
The Light Blues wanted to bring the English attacking midfielder back for a second spell at Ibrox, but the Welsh outfit are said to not be interested in letting him move on from the club in the January transfer window.
Windass has scored seven goals and provided three assists in the Championship this season, per Sofascore, which may be why Danny Rohl is keen on a reunion with his former Sheffield Wednesday star.
Wrexham’s stance on the 31-year-old attacker, who scored 19 goals during his time at Ibrox, suggests that Rangers will have to move on to other targets.
Rangers considering move for Sheffield Wednesday star
Whilst a move for Windass does not appear to be very likely at this moment in time, the Gers are said to be keen on another player who has already worked with Rohl.
According to SportsBoom, Rangers are considering a move to sign Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Pierce Charles to bolster their options between the sticks in the January transfer window.
The report claims that Rohl was impressed by the Northern Ireland international, whom he handed a senior league debut to last season, and believes that Charles can be the long-term number one option at Ibrox.
It adds that the German head coach is weighing up a move to take advantage of Sheffield Wednesday’s financial issues to snap up the young shot-stopper to be Jack Butland’s replacement.
SportsBoom also reveals that the Owls may be forced to cash in on some of their prized assets in the January transfer window unless a sale of the club is accelerated in the coming weeks, which could open the door for the Gers to sign Charles next month.
Why Charles would be a better signing than Windass
If the Light Blues are going to dip back into the EFL market to improve their squad, Charles would be a much better signing for the club than Windass.
The Wrexham attacker is 31 and Rangers were said to be pursuing a loan deal for him, which means that it would be an incredibly short-term deal with no long-term benefits.
Windass’ aforementioned goal and assist output this season suggests that he could make a short-term impact at the top end of the pitch, but the club would then need to replace him in the summer.
Charles, however, is a 20-year-old talent who would arrive at Ibrox on a permanent deal with a view to making an impact at the club in the short, medium, and long-term.
In the short and medium term, the Northern Ireland international has the quality to push Butland for his place in the starting line-up, based on his form in the Championship since the start of last season.
24/25 + 25/26
Charles (Championship)
Butland (Premiership)
Appearances
14
46
Ground duel success rate
100%
94%
Aerial duel success rate
100%
78%
Error led to shot
1
5
Error led to goal
2
4
Penalties committed
0
1
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, both goalkeepers have made an error leading to a shot, goal, or penalty every 4.66 games on average since the start of last season, but the youngster has been more effective in his duels.
The Sheffield Wednesday star, who was hailed as “amazing” by Anthony Elanga, has also prevented 1.07 goals, based on the xG against him, in the Championship since the start of last season, per FotMob.
Butland, meanwhile, has prevented 0.80 goals in the Scottish Premiership for Rangers in that time, which suggests that Charles may have a slight edge on him in that regard.
One area in which Charles may also have an edge over the former England international is his distribution. The 20-year-old talent came up through the Manchester City academy and has proven himself to be adept with the ball at his feet, as shown in the clip below.
Butland has had his struggles on the ball when playing out from the back this season, as evidenced by a whopping seven errors that have led to shots or goals in the Premiership and the Europa League combined, per Sofascore, whilst Charles has only made one error this term.
This suggests that Rangers could immediately improve their team by signing a goalkeeper who is currently less prone to making mistakes in possession and is more effective as a shot-stopper, if he can translate his form over to Scottish football.
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Glasgow Rangers should finally cash in on this star when the January transfer window opens for business.
That, and the fact that he is a 20-year-old with potential to be a long-term asset to the club, is why Charles would be an even better signing for the Gers than Windass, who would only provide a short-term lift on the pitch.
