Why Rangers targets Dan Neil and Romaine Mundle would be Ibrox hits - through eyes of Sunderland fan

According to Sky Sports, the Glasgow giants have approached the Black Cats over a double deal, with the duo keen to play more regular first-team football.

The pair were both key figures in Sunderland’s promotion to the English Premier League last term, with 24-year-old midfielder Neil actually captaining his hometown side back to the top flight after an eight-year absence with a 2-1 win over Sheffield United in the EFL Championship play-off final last May.

Mundle, who started that game at Wembley, contributed to seven goals despite missing a large chunk of the campaign with a hamstring injury, including a goal of the season contender against Preston North End in February.

However, since the club’s return to the big time, both players have struggled for regular game time under Regis Le Bris. Former Tottenham Hotspur winger Mundle missed the first few months of the season with injury, but has made just eight substitute appearances since his return.

Meanwhile, Hebburn-born Neil has dropped down the pecking order following the big money signings of both Granit Xhaka and Noah Sadiki. He has seen just 13 minutes of league action, and is out of contract at the end of the season.

The Sunderland duo are attracting interest from elsewhere, with Neil linked to clubs from the EFL Championship. Whereas 22-year-old Mundle is being eyed by Belgian giants Club Brugge and Strasbourg.

Asked about the prospects of departing the Stadium of Light, head coach Le Bris said: “If a player won’t play too much in the second part of the season, there is the possibility for him to find another club to get minutes. That’s always the case. The most important thing is the club project – this is the first idea. Then, after that, it depends on the situation. If we think that over the second half of the season, the player won’t play a lot, then it means you can perhaps find a solution.

“But you have to find another club with a good project as well. I still say that it is important to stay open, to avoid misunderstandings. If it is clear for everyone, then after that you can move forward.”

But what could both Neil and Mundle bring to Rangers, should the Ibrox club pull off a double deal? As a Sunderland season ticket holder for 28 years, let me give you the full lowdown:

Who is Dan Neil, and what can he bring to Rangers?

There was a saying on Wearside social media last year, used by some fellow fans, that went something like ‘if you don’t rate Dan Neil, you don’t understand football.’ So let me get the obvious question out of the way first - if he’s so good, why isn’t he getting minutes at Sunderland?

He is out of contract at the Stadium of Light in the summer and, amid rumoured interest from Everton last year, it seems to be something that has rumbled on for a while and doesn’t look like being resolved. We’ve also brought in Xhaka in his position, and he’s been transformational. He isn’t as good as Xhaka, but that’s okay; few are. This has restricted his minutes - though some would argue too much.

Should he leave this January, which I think he will, there’ll be a real tinge of sadness that comes with it. He’s been with us since he was a kid, made his debut aged just 16 and gone on to be a veteran of over 200 appearances for us all before his 25th birthday. He has done the journey from League One all the way to the Premier League and - up until this season - has been one of the most important components in our rise back to the ‘promised land’.

Capable of performing anywhere in the midfield, he is most definitely best utilised in the six role, where he can anchor the midfield, offer a protective shield for the defence and dictate the tempo of the game. A key part of Sunderland's midfield structure for the last three seasons, his leadership qualities grew immeasurably last year as he guided a teenage engine room (Jobe Bellingham and Chris Rigg) back to the top tier. A classy footballer, with a fine range of passing and some real leadership skills despite his tender years, I’d be shocked if he didn’t flourish wherever he went next.

Who is Romaine Mundle, and what can he bring to Rangers?

Signed from Standard Liege in January 2023, he was unfortunately a victim of the disastrous 12-game spell Michael Beale (you remember him, I assume) had in charge on Wearside, meaning we didn’t truly see what he had to offer until the following season. Predominantly played on the left, the London-born winger came to the fore when we sold Jack Clarke to Ipswich Town at the beginning of last season for a fee of £15million.

Clarke, who had bagged 17 league goals off the wing the season beforehand, always felt destined to be a top-flight talent, so when he went to a newly promoted side for big money, few were surprised. Our first game after his departure, Mundle came in on the left against Burnley with a point to prove. Admittedly, there was uncertainty over whether he’d step up and replace what we’d lost in Clarke - but how wrong we were. He bagged the winning goal against Burnley with a vicious right-foot strike and never really looked back, scoring another five goals as we finished comfortably in fourth.

The one blot on his copybook, however, is his injury record over the last year. He suffered a hamstring injury at the turn of the year, and it kept him out for the best part of three months, which forced us to play Enzo Le Fee - our big January signing and predominantly a playmaking number 10 - on the left. With Tommy Watson also injured, it left us quite short for a while, and it was the period where we struggled most in that campaign.

He returned in March, scored a stunning equaliser against Preston (which you can watch here), but then injured his hamstring again, and didn’t return until late May, where he came off the bench in our dramatic extra-time playoff semi-final win over Coventry City and, latterly, started the play-off final 10 days later. Sadly, he aggravated the injury once again in pre-season, meaning he didn’t make a single appearance for us this season until late November. However, now that he is fully fit, he’s behind £40million worth of talent in Chemsdine Talbi and Simon Adingra.

In short, Romaine is a pacey, direct winger who can go both ways and is extremely exciting to watch. If fit, he is a player I’d personally still have backed to be a valuable member of the Sunderland squad in the Premier League, even if not a regular starter. His defensive work is good too; he’ll not leave his full-back out to dry. Should he stay fit, I’d back Mundle to be a huge hit at Ibrox alongside Neil.

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