Burnley FC urged to send star to Rangers over QPR or Stoke City | OneFootball

We asked our Burnley fan pundit where Hjalmar Ekdal should be sent on loan this month

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Burnley have been told to loan centre-back Hjalmar Ekdal to Scottish side Rangers amid a host of loan interest in the Swedish international.

It was reported by Swedish outlet Expressen that the likes of Empoli, Sampdoria, Rangers and Championship clubs Stoke City and QPR were keen to take the 26-year-old on loan as he looks to get back to match fitness after a hamstring injury.

Ekdal made his first appearance of the season on the weekend, playing 48 minutes as Burnley progressed to the next round of the FA Cup with a win over Reading, and that helped to put him in the shop window ahead of a potential loan move.

With a host of interest in signing him, Burnley aren't short of options, and they've been told that Rangers would be the best fit for him.

Rangers tipped to land Hjalmar Ekdal on loan from Burnley

We asked our Burnley fan pundit, Will Lancaster, where Ekdal should be sent on loan this month, and he's tipped the Swedish international for a move to Ibrox.

Speaking to Football League World, Will said: "I see a lot of potential in Hjalmar Ekdal.

"He was really good in the Vincent Kompany title-winning season, he stepped in quite well after Taylor Harwood-Bellis got injured in the FA Cup, and he practically walked straight into the side, scored against Norwich in one of his early games, and there was no drop off in quality.

“On the ball he was decent going forward, we had Jordan Beyer as the man alongside him, but he was winning everything in the air. When you see Taylor Harwood-Bellis going for £20million to Southampton, it shows that he does have that quality.

"I don’t think Burnley should cash in at all. You’ve got John Egan and Joe Worrall there. I think John Egan is only until the end of the season, so maybe it makes sense to loan Ekdal out and allow Egan’s short-term deal to run out.

“QPR, Stoke, Rangers and Sampdoria are all linked, I think you’ve got to send him to a side who are confident on the ball and definitely not one that is under the cosh and with a pragmatic style.

“Rangers would be ideal. They always have more possession than the other teams in Scotland, other than perhaps the Old Firm derby, so he’ll get European football in the Europa League too, as Rangers look like they’re going to reach the play-off round. That’s the sort of team Burnley should be looking to loan him out too, or someone who is going for promotion in a top division in Europe.

"Maybe not a Serie A or La Liga team as he might not get played, but an Eredivisie team or the Portuguese league could suit him quite well."

While Ekdal is set to leave Turf Moor on loan, he's still got plenty to offer the Clarets moving forward, and he's out of contract until 2027, so a loan spell away could be the perfect chance to show what he's capable of.

It's been a difficult 18 months or so for the Swedish international, and his first appearance of the campaign against Reading was just his tenth since the 2023/24 season got underway.

The 48 minutes at the Select Car Leasing Stadium against Reading took his tally to 19 Burnley appearances in the two years he's been at the club, so a loan move will clearly benefit him this month.