Breaking News:Rangers got lucky escape as target plays like ‘he’s got a sack of potatoes on his back’

Breaking News:Rangers got lucky escape as target plays like ‘he’s got a sack of potatoes on his back’

Rangers’ long-running pursuit of a Borna Barisic replacement started at Jefte Vital and ended, well, at Jefte Vital.

 

Had the Scottish Premiership giants got their man back in January, when they first tried to tempt the Brazilian to Ibrox, then Rangers could have saved themselves a lot of bother.

Philippe Clement’s side even agreed terms with Fluminense at the start of 2024.

 

But with Jefte on loan at APOEL Nicosia and the Cypriot outfit refusing to cut his spell short, Rangers were forced to widen their net and consider a host of alternatives. That is before, of course, they opted to wait until the summer and get their number one target through the door five months later than they had planned.

 

Josh Doig was linked briefly. So too was Bristol City’s Cameron Pring. Eredivisie duo Anass Salah-Eddine and Fredrik Oppegaard were mentioned too.

Rangers were keen on Feyenoord’s Gijs Smal

According to Rotterdam-based publication 1908, Rangers had emerged as one of Feyenoord’s greatest rivals for the signature of the then-FC Twente left-back.

 

Smal was due to become a free-agent in the following summer.

 

But with his heart seemingly set on the 2023 Dutch champions, Smal needed little convincing when Feyenoord put a contract under his nose.

Now, while it is far too soon to frame his dream move as becoming something of a nightmare, a difficult first few weeks at De Kuip will not have Rangers wishing they could trade in the increasingly-effective Jefte for a man who finished top of the Eredivisie’s assist charts in 2022/23.

 

Smal’s form has dipped alarmingly since those heady days.

 

He struggled throughout his final season at Twente, that move to Feyenoord facilitated by his previous form rather than current displays. And Smal’s latest outing – coming in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with newly-promoted Groningen – felt like another wrong turn for a player who appears to be stumbling down a dangerous road.

 

“Look at how he runs back,” former Netherlands and Barcelona playmaker Ibrahim Affelay tells NOS, less than impressed as Smal was caught high up the pitch but did not exactly break a neck to get back and stop Groningen from halving Feyenoord’s 2-0 lead.