Rangers have built an exciting squad at Ibrox with a perfect blend of talented young prospects and experienced professionals all in Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s armoury.
The Gers have the likes of Allan McGregor, James Tavernier, Leon Balogun and Ryan Jack, among others, to lean on for their know-how on the pitch.
They also have players like Ryan Kent, Calvin Bassey and Ianis Hagi who are still progressing in their careers at Rangers, with a potential eye on making it at the very top level.
Shocker
Rangers have had a number of gems pass through Ibrox on a similar journey, and one player with whom they had a big shocker in 2004 was Spanish midfielder Mikel Arteta.
He joined the Gers from Barcelona in 2002 at the tender age of 19, and then-Ibrox manager Alex McLeish sang his praises, saying: “Mikel is an excellent young player, and I’m sure he is someone who will really excite the Rangers fans.
“I think the fans will see a class act when he pulls on a Rangers jersey next season. He is very comfortable on the ball and he has an excellent touch – and the great thing is his best years are still ahead of him.”
Arteta went on to play seven UEFA Cup and Champions League matches for the Gers in two seasons, scoring one goal and failing to provide any assists. Reports in 2003 indicated that he was unhappy with being played out of position, which led to him being sold to Real Sociedad for a fee that Transfemarkt claims to be £3.6m in the summer of 2004.
He lasted half a season back in Spain before he was picked up Premier League side Everton on loan in January 2005, signing permanently for the English club in the summer of that year. This is where he really made a name for himself, as in 209 matches for the Toffees, he scored 35 goals and produced 35 assists.
His impressive performances in the middle of the park led to his value skyrocketing. In February 2009, Transfermarkt valued him at a whopping £18m, a full 400% more than the £3.6m that Rangers received for him. This valuation was just under two years prior to his move to another Premier League side in Arsenal for £10m in 2011.
He saw out the rest of his playing time with the Gunners and is now the current head coach of the London giants, having previously worked with Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. This shows that he has excelled in management after a fine playing career and has gone on to achieve great things since leaving the Gers, as he is in charge of a team competing at the right end of the English top flight.
In conclusion, McLeish had a shocker with Arteta in 2004 in allowing the player to leave over issues with where he was being deployed on the pitch. The Scot was unwilling to compromise and make the best use of the Spaniard’s talents, and the Gers were left to regret this as they watched the player’s value rise and rise in the years after he left Ibrox…
AND in other news, Big setback as Van Bronckhorst dealt worrying Rangers injury blow, Ibrox faithful will surely be livid…