Rangers are giving serious consideration to a January move for one of the Scottish Premiership’s standout midfielders as Rangers look to accelerate their rebuild under Danny Röhl.
Since earlier reports of midfield reinforcements emerged, Rangers have steadied their campaign with consecutive league wins over Motherwell (1–0) and St Mirren (2–1) to ease the disappointment of their Tynecastle defeat to league leaders Hearts.
Those results have lifted the Gers clear in third place, three points behind Celtic in second and six behind the Jambos.
Now two clear of fourth placed Motherwell with a game in hand, the Gers are looking upwards, rather than over their shoulders as we enter 2026.
Despite that uptick, the picture at Ibrox remains clear.
Röhl is operating with a midfield short on depth, physicality and consistency, and Rangers could look to strengthen themselves while simultaneously weakening a direct rival by moving for Motherwell midfielder Elliot Watt.
The 25-year-old has been one of the league’s most impressive performers this season and further enhanced his reputation during the week by scoring in Motherwell’s 2–0 victory over Celtic.
It followed another influential display against Rangers earlier in the campaign, when Watt was man of the match in the 1–1 draw at Fir Park on the opening day of the season, dominating the centre of the pitch against a Rangers side then managed by Russell Martin.
Watt’s journey to this point has been unconventional but impressive.
A former Scotland Under-21 international who captained the Under-19 side, he came through youth systems at Liverpool, Blackburn Rovers, Wolves and Preston North End before breaking through at Bradford City.
Spells at Burton Albion and Salford City followed, before a loan with St Johnstone last season caught the eye of Motherwell and their manager Jens Berthel Askou, who signed him on a free.
This season, Watt has been tasked with replacing the departed Lennon Miller - and has done so convincingly. While his raw output stands at three goals in 19 appearances, his underlying numbers tell a stronger story.
He leads the Premiership for ball carries into the opposition third, ranks highly for progressive passing, and boasts aerial duel statistics that would immediately address a glaring weakness in Rangers current midfield.
Contracted until 2027, with Motherwell holding an option for an additional year, any deal would likely require a seven-figure fee. Rangers view Watt as a potential successor to Nicolas Raskin, whose future remains uncertain amid interest from England.
There is also a personal layer to the story.
Old posts from Watt’s X account, dating back to his teenage years, show him openly expressing admiration for Rangers - including repeated messages of support during the 2016–17 period where he posted “Mon the Gers” on five occasions between 2016 and 2018.
He also posted “Come on the RANGERS” ahead of the 2016 Old Firm Scottish Cup semi-final match that ended in a Gers penalty win under Mark Warburton.
Come on the RANGERS💙!!
— elliot watt (@ell_watt00) April 17, 2016
While such sentiments are not decisive, they add intrigue to a move that increasingly looks logical on footballing grounds.
With Rangers also linked to Emil Bohinen and Tromso youngster Jens Hjerto-Dahl to boost their midfield, and Röhl keen to conclude business early, a move for Watt would signal intent - and belief that the title race is still there to be attacked.
However, no move will be made until after tomorrow’s Old Firm match at Celtic Park with Danny Rohl and his side fully focused on the match.