Glasgow Rangers head coach Philippe Clement masterminded a 2-0 victory for his side against St Johnstone in their last game before the October international break.
His team secured all three points at Ibrox on Sunday night to head into the break on a high, after the disappointment of their 4-1 defeat to Lyon in the Europa League in Glasgow.
Vaclav Cerny, who is on loan from Bundesliga outfit Wolfsburg, scored a goal in either half to seal the win for his side, with his first goal being a piece of individual brilliance.
His second goal, however, was assisted by the returning Ianis Hagi, who made his first appearance of the season off the bench in the second half.
The Romania international came on at half-time for Ross McCausland and fizzed a superb pass into Cerny’s feet in the box to assist the second goal for the Gers.
Unfortunately, though, Hagi was then shown a straight red card for a studs-up challenge in midfield, after intervention from VAR, and will now spend the next three games on the sidelines.
That is another setback for the 25-year-old dynamo as he looks to get his career back on track, following a difficult few years due to injury issues.
Ianis Hagi's Rangers career
Rangers initially signed the attacking midfielder on loan from Belgian side Genk at the end of the January transfer window in 2020, to bolster Steven Gerrard’s side for the second half of the season.
Hagi made a fast start to life in Scotland with a return of three goals and two assists in 11 appearances in the Scottish Premiership and Europa League combined.
He did enough to convince Rangers to secure his services on a permanent deal in the summer of 2020 for a reported fee of £3m, and his form in his first full season at Ibrox suggested that it was money well spent by the Gers.
Appearances
33
Starts
23
Goals
7
Chances created
33
Assists
11
As you can see in the table above, Hagi was directly involved in 18 goals in 23 starts in the Premiership and featured in 33 of their 38 games, as the Light Blues went unbeaten and won the league under Gerrard.
The Romanian wizard then produced four goals and four assists in 27 outings in all competitions during the first half of the following campaign, before suffering a long-term knee injury in January 2022.
That injury kept him out of action for over a year and for 69 competitive matches and he is still trying to recapture his previous form for the Gers, after a return of zero goals and two assists in 22 LaLiga games for Alaves on loan last season.
Things could have been very different for the Light Blues, however, if they had landed one of their alternative targets in January 2020 – Lewis Ferguson.
Rangers' interest in Lewis Ferguson
Ahead of that January transfer window, The Scottish Sun reported that the Gers were weighing up a potential swoop to sign the Aberdeen central midfielder.
It was claimed that sporting director Ross Wilson, who has since moved on to join Nottingham Forest, had identified the Scottish whiz as a target for the Scottish giants, as a potential option for that window as well as future ones.
The outlet revealed that there was interest in Finland international Glen Kamara and that Ferguson could have been identified as a possible replacement for the ex-Arsenal man.
It was not, however, revealed how much Aberdeen were set to demand for the Scotland U21 international, who was valued at just €1m (£838k) by Transfermarkt at the time.
He had already established himself as a strong performer in the Premiership for the Dons, though, with a return of five goals and seven assists in 29 matches during the 2018/19 campaign.
That was not the first time they had missed out on the midfielder, though, as he had been in their academy between 2009 and 2013 before they released him ahead of the 2013/14 season, seemingly deciding that he would not develop into a first-team player for them.
One that got away
The transfers that nearly happened but never did. This article is part of Football FanCast's One That Got Away series.
Ferguson was one who slipped through the net that time and one that got away in the January transfer window in 2020, as he has soared in value since then.
Lewis Ferguson's current market value
At the time of writing (10/10/2024), Transfermarkt has his current market value at a whopping €24m (£22m), which is a staggering rise from his €1m valuation in January 2020.
18 months on from Rangers failing to sign, or opting not to, Ferguson, the Scottish midfielder secured a permanent transfer to Bologna in the summer of 2022.
The attacking midfielder hit the ground running in Italy with a return of seven goals in 32 appearances in the Italian top-flight during the 2022/23 campaign.
That came after the former Rangers academy prospect had racked up 37 goals and 23 assists in 169 games for Aberdeen during his spell with the Dons.
Rome-based journalist Alasdair Mackenzie hailed the 25-year-old star as a “sensation” and an “all-round” dynamo in midfield for Bologna, as he helped the club to secure Champions League football last term.
Appearances
31
Goals
6
Assists
3
Pass accuracy
89%
Duel success rate
51%
As you can see in the table above, Ferguson caught the eye with nine direct goal contributions and a pass accuracy of 89% for the Italian side.
The former Aberdeen star, who is currently out with a knee injury, scored 13 goals in his first two seasons in the Serie A and has proven himself to be a fantastic performer at that level since his move to Bologna in the summer of 2022.
That has resulted in his market value soaring to a staggering £22m, which is significantly more than Rangers would have had to have paid for him in 2020, as the Italian team only paid £3m for him in 2022.
Bid prepared: Rangers wanted £17m star in the making but got Cantwell
The Light Blues once attempted to snap up the talented forward under Michael Beale.
ByDan EmeryOct 7, 2024
Therefore, the Scottish ace is one that got away for the Light Blues as they missed out on the chance to sign a player with the potential to soar in value whilst competing at a high level.