Rangers are in the same position that they found themselves in three years ago, with question marks over the left-back position.
Calvin Bassey was yet to fully settle in and his long term future always seemed to be at centre-half with Borna Barisic’s form attracting Premier League interest – changed days indeed.
Ross Wilson, as sporting director, had already taken advantage of cross-border regulations to land targets from England and one former player on his list is showing exactly what Rangers missed out on.
Former Rangers target Alfie Doughty eyed for big money move
According to Sky Sports, Luton Town’s Alfie Doughty is attracting interest from several Premier League clubs in what could be his third move in as many years.
In 2021, Doughty was being considered for a pre-contract agreement which would have seen a development fee similar to the £350,000 paid for Joe Aribo.
Capable of playing anywhere on the left-hand side, Doughty has taken the long way to get to England’s top flight after rejecting Rangers to sign for Stoke City thinking that they would get promoted.
Then Charlton Athletic manager, Lee Bowyer, was far from Rangers biggest fan and, when commenting on Doughty’s contract situation, was clearly having a less than subtle dig:
“I think it will happen when the time is right and the deal is right for the football club. We want the right deal and if we get that it will happen quickly – if we don’t then it won’t.
“Agents, and I’m not just talking about Alfie’s, they think they own players and not the club. They try and make those threats ‘you’ve got 24 hours or I take him cross-border’. Come on, you can take him cross-border on February 1 or March 1. Why do you have to do it now? They are just threats to get the deal done.
“But for us as a club, we have to make sure that this is the best deal we can get. That’s what we’re doing.
“There is more than one club interested in him. Again we will get the best deal we can for the club. We’ll sit down with Alfie and see what he thinks. That’s the right thing to do.”
Bowyer clearly suggesting that Rangers were hoping for a cut-price deal before Charlton accepted offers from Championship clubs.
Sliding doors moment that saw Rangers bank record fee
Brentford are one of the sides named after a string of impressive performances for Luton proved that Doughty can handle the step up in standard.
Gerrard missed out, however, in 2021/22, we saw the emergence of a player who would go on to smash Rangers transfer record in a £20m deal.
Had Steven Gerrard signed Doughty, Bassey’s rise to prominence might not have been so spectacular.
As with several other players who Rangers have missed out on in recent years, it doesn’t seem to be the scouting that’s the issue.
They can spot a player, the issue is either persuading them to move to the SPFL or being able to afford them.
Hopefully, Nils Koppen has more joy in this transfer window than his predecessors have of late.
