Multi-club models and and owners with their fingers in a number of footballing pies are all the rage these days. And, as such, the dispute over one member of the current Rangers squad feels like a very modern day sort of problem.
One of the first signings of the Philippe Clement era at Ibrox might just be glad to embark upon something of a simpler life. That is, if you can ever call representing one of the most passionate and expectant fanbases in British football ‘simple’.
Oscar Cortes, so impressive until an untimely injury wrecked his initial loan spell at Rangers in the second half of last season, returned for 2024/25 earlier this week.
The twinkle-toed winger extended his stay at Ibrox until next summer, this time with an obligation-to-buy clause reportedly included in his contract in the region of £4 million (Daily Record).
Oscar Cortes returns to Rangers from RC Lens
“I am really pleased to have Oscar coming back,” Clement tells the Rangers website, Cortes’ return a big boost for a club who have lost fellow loanees and fellow widemen Fabio Silva and Abdallah Sima.
“He was a big asset to the squad when he came to the club and he showed the qualities that attracted him to us.
“Oscar suffered a setback, but he has worked tirelessly during his recovery and I am sure all of the fans are looking forward to seeing him again next season.”
Cortes arrives at Rangers from RC Lens in France’s top flight. It was at the Ligue 1 outfit where the dispute over the one-time Colombia international arose.
Joseph Oughourlian, Lens’ president, also has connections at Cortes’ old employers Millonarios. As such, it did not take long for speculation to swirl suggesting that the Lens chief had instructed head coach Franck Haise to include Cortes in his first-team plans.
Oughourlian, however, insists that he ‘never’ attempted to interfere with his manager’s choices, Cortes signed not because of the president’s Colombian connections but because of his ‘exceptional’ talent.
“On Cortes, I was told that he was an exceptional player,” the Paris-born businessman tells L’Equipe, via Allez Lens, while claiming that Ligue 1 rivals LOSC Lille were also interested at the time.
Interestingly, Lille boast a formidable track record when signing young forwads before setting them on their path to bigger things. See Eden Hazard, Victor Osimhen, Rafael Leao, Gervinho and, to a lesser extent, the one-time £72 million Arsenal attacker Nicolas Pepe.
So why did Cortes, brimming with potential, pace, vision and verve, find opportunities so hard to come by at Lens, featuring in only four Ligue 1 matches before joining Rangers at the start of 2024.
Well, Oughourlian says that the blame lies at the door of the now-departed Haise.
Colombian could help Rangers offset Abdallah Sima exit
“I called Franck Haise and said; ‘It’s not so bad?’. He pouted,” the long-serving Lens chief explains. “He replied; ‘(Cortes) will have difficulty integrating into my system’.”
Presuming Rangers cannot agree a deal to bring Sima back to Glasgow from Brighton – the Senegal’s future remains very much uncertain – Cortes could act as a very useful replacement, replicating the role he played when Sima was injured during the spring.
“Oscar’s Rangers career started brightly and he showed the technical ability, pace and goal threat he carries,” smiles director Nils Koppen.
“He was unfortunate to miss the final few months of the campaign, but we believe he can be an important player for the team going forward.
“He has really loved being at the club and we feel he will get even better when he is fully fit again working under the manager and his coaching staff.”
