Newcastle Linked With Rangers Midfielder

After playing barely a dozen games for Scottish football club Rangers, Josh Windass has found himself targeted by 2 Championship clubs: Newcastle and Derby County. The 22 year old Midfielder has shown enough promise in just a few games to be seen as an asset in the eyes of both Derby and Newcastle as both teams make a push for promotion.

Josh Windass is the son of Hull City hero and Bradford City legend Dean Windass; a journeyman playing for teams all over England as a striker. Josh grew up playing in the Huddersfield Town Academy before signing his first pro contract with Accrington Stanley in 2013. Josh stayed with Accrington Stanley for 3 years, scoring 21 goals in 75 appearances, including a solid 2015 campaign where he netted 16 goals in the 32 games he played. He signed a pre contract deal with Rangers in January; and successfully made the move to Rangers this past summer where he has seen limited playing time due to injury.

Windass is currently out, yet again, with a hamstring injury. Rangers boss Mark Warburton was not initially planning to sell Windass, but with having lost midfielders Joey Barton and Niko Kranjcar for the season due to injury, it is likely Windass could be sold in January. Warburton wants to improve his team in January, and in order to do so he will likely have to sell some players. With Windass, drawing interest from two of the wealthier Championship clubs, it does make sense for Warburton to sell Windass, especially given the fact that Windass has been a virtual non factor this season for Rangers.

Warburton does speak very highly of Windass, even though Windass has played so few games for him. On Windass Warburton has stated : “Josh has already shown his quality. He's got a change of pace, a dynamism in the final third and he's clever on the ball.”

"So with him, I think you will see another young player - just as you will with Joe Dodoo and Jordan Rossiter - pushing really hard.”

"They haven't come here to make up the numbers. Josh is a really exciting talent. We're delighted with his progress so far. It's early days and he knows what he has to do but we believe there is a real player there."

It is also important to mention that last January a number of Championship and League 1 clubs were vying for Windass’ signature.

With Warburton’s midfield depleted and in desperate need of repair, Warburton will surely have to decide if he wants to wait to see if Windass can turn into the player he was at Accrington, or sell Windass and sign a proven midfielder. Warburton recently stated that he still has faith in the young duo of Windass and former Liverpool player Jordan Rossiter that he brought in this summer, who both have seen limited action due to injury. We will have to see whether or not that holds true once January rolls around.

For Newcastle, Windass could be brought to generate offense in the final 3rd. Windass is known for being more of an attacking midfielder, who’s quite pacey and can finish well. Windass can also play on the right wing or as a striker. It is not likely Windass would be an immediate first team player, but because of the wealth of the positions he can play, his style of play and his ability as a set piece specialist, he could be a solid player Rafa can bring off of the bench. This could be a likely signing, considering that Newcastle have had trouble at the attacking midfielder role recently and that neither Mo Diame and Ayoze Perez have played to their true potential. Windass is currently injured and has struggled with injuries all season, and that is something Newcastle will have to be cautious of if they choose to go after Windass. If you want to see Windass in action, check out the video below.