Why Rangers transfer might be best outcome for Scottish football’s last man standing at Euros

Subbed off during the last 16 defeat against Spain while wearing a hair net, Ianis Hagi might have wished for a more dignified end to his Euro 2024 adventure.

Still, the Rangers playmaker can reflect on a positive summer with Romania after another difficult season of club football and amid continued speculation about his future.

Of course, referring to Hagi as a Rangers playmaker seems slightly disingenuous. It’s been a while since he made any play on behalf of the Ibrox club. Nearly 12 months, indeed – and even then it didn’t feel like he was an integral part of the club’s future plans, certainly not near future.

Romania and Rangers midfielder Ianis Hagi looks on during the Euro 2024 round of 16 defeat to Netherlands. (Photo by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images)

His frustration was evident when he opened up about finding it difficult to comprehend why he wasn't making a greater contribution to Rangers having recovered from a serious knee injury.

He had come on as a second half substitute against Morton in the League Cup and had played only the last moments of a Champions League qualifying win over Servette. When the then manager Michael Beale excluded him from the Champions League squad for the play-off tie with PSV Eindhoven, the writing seemed to be on the wall. And so it proved – by the time the transfer window ended, he was out on loan at La Liga side Alaves.

Still, this is Rangers. Hagi has only had to wait around a bit – while his case playing 25 games on loan for Alaves, more often from the bench than not – before surveying a new landscape at Ibrox. Whether Philippe Clement's vision of Rangers might include Hagi remains to be seen. There's already a body of opinion that the Romanian with the famous dad is a better bet at No.10 than the ex-Norwich City player with an active Instagram account.

That said, it would surprise no one if neither Hagi nor Todd Cantwell are stepping out at Murrayfield, Hampden or wherever else Rangers can find to play their opening home games next season.

In light of Clement's previous admission that he watches football all the time – he once cited divorce from his first wife as evidence – we can assume he has not missed any of Hagi’s appearances, two from the start and two from the bench, in Germany. He has impressed in glimpses, which is perhaps the story of his stop-start career so far.

It is now four years since Hagi signed a permanent contract at Ibrox having impressed while on loan from Genk. Rangers fans seemed thrilled at the prospect of being able enjoy the then 21-year-old's upwards trajectory.

That hasn’t always been the case at a club criticised for signing players who are past their best or simply not good enough in the first place. Injury has of course been the most significant factor in Hagi's struggles to establish himself at Ibrox although he was not a regular at Alaves either - just ten starts out of 25 appearances.

Indeed, last season was an unusual season. He scored more goals for his country than at club level, although he failed to add to his tally at Euro 2024. Nevertheless, he got deeper into the tournament than any other Scottish-based player. He was also one of the few to augment rather than tarnish their reputation. Rangers might be advised to take advantage of this situation.

With still two years left of the contact extension Hagi signed shortly after Beale took over in December 2022, Rangers can expect to recoup at least some of the outlay, although the exact amount the Ibrox club paid – it is reckoned to be between £2-3 million – and the precise arrangement was never disclosed.

Then CEO James Bisgrove praised Genk for their cooperation in making the deal happen, noting that it was full of enterprising clauses. It's likely the Belgian club will stand to gain to some extent. Whatever the situation, a clean break for both Rangers and Hagi would appear to be the prudent way forward.