We’ll say it from the off, we had grave, grave concerns about signing a third division Ryan Naderi German striker here on Ibrox Noise.
And so far, Ryan Naderi has looked every inch the lower-league striker we overpaid for.
Even worse, his agent has confirmed it was a panic signing by Rangers and we paid over the odds to get him immediately.
He said:
“There were still some details to be sorted out between the clubs, as well as final details regarding the player’s contract. It was truly a last-minute affair.
“Ryan then had to undergo a few more medical tests at the Rangers training ground with the staff there. We finished just moments before the deadline.
“Rangers had tried to sign other players on loan for that timeframe; Ryan was originally planned for the summer. The prices for these players kept rising.
“In the end, it was a business decision for Rangers to say: ‘Okay, we’re going back to Naderi and set ourselves a total budget with which we want to complete an immediate transfer’.”
AKA Rangers had wanted other strikers over Naderi, but the cost of them rose too much leaving Hansa Rostock in a strong position regarding Rangers.
He also confirms Naderi was not a first-choice January addition because of the cost, but Rangers were left cornered by fails elsewhere.
It’s just not the star January signing Rangers needed up front, and so far his performances have been energetic but lacking any real quality.
He is yet to score a goal for the Famous, unless you count two unmarked headers against a hapless Queens Park.
Naderi looks a decent guy, and just wants to succeed, but dropping a third division striker into the cauldron of Ibrox really was a gigantic gamble.
He has certainly done no better than Andreas Skov Olsen who is coming under a heap of pressure thanks to lacklustre displays.
Naderi seems, for now, to be getting a bit of a free pass from some Rangers fans, but we’re not seeing at Ibrox Noise any sign this lad is anything other than a staggering waste of cash.
We really hope he turns it around because he’s the kind of signing Danny Rohl put his neck on the chopping board for.
He spent £5M on him, and so far we’ve seen very little sign third division Ryan Naderi is worth even a 20th of that.