Summer last year Ibrox Noise published a piece on how Romanian attacker Ianis Hagi just didn’t matter that much to Rangers any more, and how the club just didn’t need him these days.
Unsurprisingly, a great number of fans took huge issue with this piece, the ones who consider a player gets better the less he plays, but we stuck by the sentiments.
And as Hagi’s failed LaLiga spell continues, we can only say that Rangers’ 10 position, and wings, are now more than comfortably kitted out with a heck of a lot of talent.
Hagi is completely surplus now to Rangers, and given how short he’s falling in Spain, there is nothing he could add to the squad that we don’t already have.
He’s also burned his bridges with Rangers, demanding an entitled right to play (when Beale was in charge) then basically spitting the club out once in Spain by saying that’s where he wanted to be.
And it was only a loan at that point.
Hagi won’t be back. Rangers have given his shirt number to Fabio Silva, in about as symbolic a departure gesture as you’ll get, and while technically this summer he will be a Rangers player again, probably, he’ll either go back out on loan or be sold.
Philippe Clement has been clear – he only wants players who 100% want to be at this club, ‘with all their heart’ and Hagi doesn’t qualify as that given what he’s said.
And if we look at the Romanian’s spell in Spain, it’s been very poor:
He’s started just 8 matches (20 appearances total), and made a single assist in that time (in a defeat to Atletico) while his two goals both came in the national cup first round against a third division Spanish side in Murcia FC.
He has now lost his place and occasionally gets on as a sub.
This was his destiny, this is where he wanted to be, and he’s flubbed it totally. Just not been good enough.
His Rangers numbers? They’re alright no more – 16 goals and 21 assists in 91 appearances. That’s 37 goals and assists in 91, which is just over one in three or a fair chunk under one in two if we’re being generous.
Not breathtaking, but his best spell was of course 55 like everyone else with 15 assists and 8 goals in 46.
But those days are long gone and no one can live off them forever.
What now for Hagi?
We will of course kowtow to what Philippe Clement chooses but we’d be very surprised if he’s interested in the Romanian, given he’s building his side and playing his way.
Clement isn’t the type to go with any player who acts entitled, and we suspect that will include Hagi.