Rangers are exploring the possibility of bringing back a familiar face ahead of what looms as a defining January transfer window for head coach Danny Röhl and his struggling side.
Sunday’s damaging 2–1 defeat to Heart of Midlothian at Tynecastle - a result that leaves Rangers a daunting 12 points behind Derek McInnes’s league leaders - has only heightened the sense that the upcoming window must deliver immediate solutions rather than long-term projects.
Röhl is acutely aware that momentum, belief and results all need to shift quickly if Rangers are to salvage their season.
The current squad, assembled during the summer under the since-departed Russell Martin and sporting director Kevin Thelwell, has struggled to meet both the demands of the Scottish Premiership and the expectations that come with playing at Ibrox.
In response, Röhl appears keen to lean on familiarity and experience - and that has brought former Rangers forward Josh Windass firmly back into the frame.
Reports suggest Rangers are considering a remarkable return for Windass, seven-and-a-half years after his departure from Govan.
Now 31, the attacking midfielder is currently with Welsh side Wrexham, having joined the English Championship side in the summer.
A loan move back to Scotland has been mooted, with Röhl, who previously worked with Windass at Sheffield Wednesday, understood to be open to a reunion.
Rangers interest is believed to centre on a temporary deal, but Wrexham are reportedly reluctant to sanction a loan so soon after signing the player.
Windass has featured regularly since his move from Hillsborough, making 19 appearances across all competitions, scoring six goals and providing three assists.
Windass originally left Rangers in the summer of 2018, shortly after finishing the previous campaign as the club’s joint-top league scorer with 18 goals alongside Alfredo Morelos.
He featured under Steven Gerrard on the opening day of the 2018/19 season away to Aberdeen but departed days later for Wigan Athletic - a move he has since openly admitted was a mistake.
Speaking to Open Goal in the summer, Windass reflected candidly on that decision.
“I didn’t have an agent or anything. It was a bad decision,” he admitted.
“I was 23, I wanted a bigger wage. I was stupid.”
He revealed how the transfer unfolded abruptly, despite assurances from Gerrard.
“He came up to me and got me off the bus and told me, ‘They’ve put a bid in for you. I’ve got to tell you because you’re not going to leave to go there…’ and then I left.”
Looking back, Windass acknowledged the footballing cost of that choice, particularly missing out on European football.
Had he stayed, he would have been part of a Rangers side that progressed past Shkupi, Osijek, Maribor and Ufa to face Villarreal, Spartak Moscow and Rapid Wien in the UEFA Europa League group stages.
“I instantly missed playing for Rangers,” he said.
“I was about to start. It was Maribor in the Europa League.”
A loan return was even discussed six months later, but never materialised.
“We had a Zoom call about six months later because I was going to go back on loan,” Windass revealed.
“Gerrard basically gave me what for.
“He told me everything that was wrong with me and how I could improve.”
Since then, Windass rebuilt his career at Sheffield Wednesday, becoming a fan favourite with 50 goals in 173 appearances, and has been repeatedly linked with a return to Ibrox including during the summer just past.
Now, with Rangers fourth in the league and under mounting pressure, the logic behind revisiting the idea is clear.
The club needs players who understand the environment, can cope with scrutiny, and are capable of making an immediate impact.
For supporters, the prospect of Windass returning will provoke mixed emotions, nostalgia for his goals and moments of flair, tempered by lingering doubts over past decisions, this is a player who shooshed his own fans after a goal at Partick Thistle.
What is clear, however, is that Rangers cannot afford another misstep.
January will define Röhl’s early tenure, and any move, especially one so symbolic, must deliver more than sentiment.