This is a bit of a ‘retro’ article, but bear with us – it’s on the premise that Malik Tillman, who most Rangers fans don’t rate anyway, certainly not for over £5M, hasn’t signed up at Ibrox, and is happily back with Bayern trying to impress ‘new’ manager Thomas Tuchel.
Regardless of what Michael Beale wanted, the German-born USA international has made it fairly clear Rangers are not his priority, and deep into June now with his loan at Rangers well and truly over there’s no sign of his interest in joining us permanently.
Which reminds us hugely of Ryan Kent.
While Ibrox Noise thinks very highly of the former Rangers winger, and more highly than the bulk of supporters, it has to be said, we were far from his first choice.
Ryan Kent, desperately, wanted to crack it at Anfield, wanted to break into the Liverpool first team after returning from his latest loan at Ibrox. At the time the Mane, Salah and Firminho trident was completely untouchable and he had no chance, but former manager Jurgen Klopp refused to loan him out once more, while, strangely, happily loaning out fellow winger Harry Wilson.
But Kent’s number one preference was to stay in Liverpool and break into the first team. He did not want to join Rangers permanently – he’d impressed in Scotland on his season here and had hoped Klopp was watching.
But the German wasn’t having any of it and either Kent stayed in the Liverpool B team, or Rangers signed him permanently.
On the final day of the transfer window in 2019, and following our horror loss to Celtic (Remember Jones’ infamous red card) Rangers plumped up the required £7.5M and Kent was ours, but at no point had he ever said he outright wanted the Rangers move.
He just knew it was either us or Liverpool reserves.
And Tillman is no different. Well short of the quality needed at Bayern (and Rangers, in our view) the American is gagging to be accepted by Tuchel, desperate to break through at the Allianz, but he’s miles off it.
And like Kent, Rangers would be a sloppy seconds – he doesn’t want to join us permanently, he wants to make it in Munich, but he will have to raise his game staggeringly to impress them enough to make an impression.
The point?
His loan is done, and there’s zero hint he’s interested in coming back.
Indeed, one of the few Rangers men who actually wants Malik Tillman back is Beale himself.
It’s completely unrequited.
This is a situation where Rangers need to let it go, and just move on, because we want top players who truly want to be at our club.
Just ask Jack Butland.