Rangers could yet get late window boost over Leeds and WBA in Millwall race: Opinion | OneFootball

Highlights

As the transfer window enters its final fortnight, and the pressure builds to get those all important deals done, clubs will be looking for every marginal gain they can get as they battle their rivals for each and every signing.

One such player who looks as though he may be set to be the focus of such a transfer race over the course of the next few weeks, is Millwall centre back Jake Cooper.

Interest growing in Cooper

Earlier this month, it was reported that Scottish giants Rangers are keen on a deal to bring Cooper to Ibrox before the window closes at the end of this month.

However, the Glasgow side now look as though they could be set to face some competition in the race to sign the centre back over the next couple of weeks.

According to the latest update from Football Insider, Millwall's Championship rivals Leeds United and West Brom have now also entered the race to sign Cooper this summer.

Given the fact those a move to one of those two clubs would allow Cooper to stay in England, with a team who will no doubt have aspirations of winning promotion to the Premier League in the not too distant future, that could be a concern for Rangers with regards to their own pursuit of the 28-year-old, given the appeal of playing at such a level, and the potential financial windfall that comes with it.

However, it could now also be argued that after the events of Tuesday night, Rangers themselves are close to securing a potential advantage of their own, in the race to secure the potential signing of Cooper from Millwall.

European exploits could help Rangers in Cooper pursuit

On Tuesday night, a 1-1 draw in Switzerland against Servette secured a 3-2 aggregate win for Rangers in the third round of Champions League qualifying.

As a result, Rangers now have just one more tie to go - against Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven - in their attempts to secure a place in the group stages of Europe's biggest football competition.

It was PSV that Rangers overcame last season to secure their place at the top table of European football, and while there is no guarantee they will do that, another victory over the Dutch giants could potentially give Michael Beale's side an additional lift in the race to bring in Cooper.

With the second leg of the tie due to be played the day before summer transfer deadline day, if the transfer battle is still ongoing that late into the window, then qualifying for the group stages would undoubtedly give Rangers an extra late edge in this scenario.

Not only would it allow them to offer Cooper the chance to play against some of the best teams in the biggest stadiums in world football, the sort of opportunity any player would want to take, but the financial windfall they would receive from qualification could potentially allow them to make an even more competitive offer to Millwall for the defender.

Consequently, securing their place in the group stages could potentially give Rangers a helping hand on two fronts in the race to sign the centre back.

Of course, it is unlikely that Rangers will need to look for further incentive than qualification itself when they line-up against PSV Eindhoven over the next couple of weeks.

There can however, be no doubt that when it comes to this battle with Leeds and West Brom for Cooper, it would provide them with a useful bonus that may be a concern for those Championship sides, given how useful the Millwall man could be for whoever secures his services.