Danny Stewart: Davis’ short-term deal will benefit Rangers in the long run

The old wisdom that you never see a poor bookie tells us there is no such thing as a certainty in sport.

Horses stumble, golfers miss putts, footballers score own-goals and debates about decisions can outlive the life span of the officials responsible for making them.

That unpredictability helps players pay their mortgages and, just as importantly, gives fans the spectacle they want.

Yet, even allowing for the fact no one can foresee the future, Rangers’ re-signing of Steven Davis on a one-year extension is surely the safest of safe bets.

The midfielder’s numbers do not so much sing his praises as scream them from the rooftops.

Over his two spells at Ibrox, he has made more than 350 appearances.

He stands to win his 136th cap for Northern Ireland in Cyprus this afternoon and number 137 in Kosovo on Thursday.

For context, he is already the UK’s record international appearance holder, and among the top 100 of all time anywhere in the world.

Indeed, but for the fact he is now 37, the possibility of him playing elsewhere next season would not even have been a topic of conversation.

Davis has recently helped his club win the Scottish Cup and reach the Europa League Final – 14 years after playing in the UEFA Cup Final in Manchester while on loan from Fulham.

The benefit of having the veteran around to pass on the benefit of his experience to younger players is obvious.

The message it sends out about the club’s plans for the future may be less so.

There is a growing belief amongst agents preparing for a summer of wheeling and dealing that Giovanni van Bronckhorst is ready to give youth its head, with the likes of Davis kept on for a little bit of security.

With Ryan Jack, John Lundstram, Joe Aribo, Glen Kamara, Scott Arfield and emerging talent Alex Lowry all vying with Davis for a jersey, competition for places in midfield is tight.

The Northern Irishman’s deal was quickly followed by Connor Goldson agreeing to stay on for another four years, and, with talks ongoing with 40-year-old keeper Allan McGregor, it could be seen as the club prioritising the retention of experience.

The capture of Lowry, still just 18, on a new contract to run until 2025 was significant.

His previous deal would have expired at the end of the season, and the Scotland youth internationalist had attracted interest from England, with both Newcastle United and Manchester City admirers.

Lower down the line, still, was the move to snap up Lancelot Pollard, a star for Aberdeen at Under-18 level – despite being just 15 – who was being courted by Liverpool.

Do not forget, either, the promotion of a raft of teenagers for the end-of-season wins at Tynecastle and against Dundee United at Ibrox last month.

But by far the most eye-catching was the dynamic finish to the campaign made by Calvin Bassey.

The 22-year-old was picked up from Leicester City for a development fee during Steven Gerrard’s time in charge, and the former boss’s current employers, Aston Villa, are among several interested parties in England and Germany reportedly ready to part with upwards of £20 million for his name on a piece of paper.

That would be a real windfall for the club and, by extension, manager van Bronckhorst, whose transfer budget will be directly linked to the money the club get in, and the holes in the squad he is left to fill.

There is no guarantee Aribo and Kamara, Borna Barisic, Ryan Kent, Alfredo Morelos and Ianis Hagi – should the latter pair fire on all cylinders on their return from injury next season – will all be playing in light blue in the long term.

In terms of the business model they want to follow, the most-important transfer deal recently was the sale of Nathan Patterson to Everton in mid-season for £16m.

Receiving such a figure for one of their own academy products, vindicated the system and has encouraged the promotion of more kids.

With Rangers having just missed out on an automatic Champions League place by losing the penalty shoot-out in Seville, the tournament’s qualifiers will make a huge difference in terms of finance.

Until that and other issues surrounding the Ibrox squad are settled one way or the other, concentrating on the talent they already have – at both ends of the age scale – seems a bet they can hardly lose.