One of the latest reports by The Scottish Sun states that Rangers have their eyes on Millwall’s commendable central defender, Jake Cooper. The 23-year-old is one of the prized assets for his current club and the Lions are in no hurry to strike him off their books. Meanwhile, the Gers are willing to pay £1.5million to lure Cooper to the Ibrox Stadium, as per the report.
Fact File
Cooper started his youth career with Reading and was eventually promoted to their senior side. He moved to Millwall, initially on loan, in the January transfer window of 2017 and then signed permanently for them at the end of the 2016-17 season. Besides, he has also represented England Under-18, Under-19 and Under-20 sides.
Attributes
Although he is still a developing player, Cooper has shown time and again that he is more than capable of catering to his defensive duties adequately. Despite not being a superb tackler or passer, the Englishman is good in the air and reads the game well. Further, he has the pace in his legs to keep up with opposition attackers.
He is tall, strong and is a threat to the opposition during set-pieces. Moreover, he has accumulated a decent amount of experience of English football and has the know-how needed to get off the blocks quickly. With the likelihood of Bruno Alves’ exit rising with every passing day with the Portuguese defender set to leave for Parma this summer, someone like Cooper would be a good replacement to fill Alves’ shoes to inject more resilience at the back.
How Did He Fare Last Season?
In what was a good season for Millwall last time around, Cooper was a regular starter at the back and played a key role in his side’s 8th-place finish in the Championship table. In 38 appearances, he made 0.7 tackles, 0.6 interceptions, 6.9 clearances and 0.7 blocks per game on an average. Besides, he also found the back of the net on 3 occasions and accumulated 3 assists to his name.
Why Rangers Need Him?
Rangers are breathing a new life under the guardianship of Steven Gerrard. The Scottish giants, in their pursuit of imposing their dominance next season in the Scottish Premiership, have already roped in the likes of Jon Flanagan and Scott Arfield to boost their outfield for the 2018-19 campaign and there is no denying that Cooper could be a decent addition to further tighten the screws at the back.
Statistics Credits: WhoScored