Finally, the sole new face at Rangers on transfer deadline day was a very expected one: Dundee’s Lyall Cameron.
The fact that Philippe Clement, Nils Koppen, and other players wanted the Scotland Under-21 international at Ibrox was probably the worst-kept secret in the domestic game.
And, when the almost-unavoidable was eventually verified on Monday afternoon, Rangers’ technical director couldn’t help but blab away with a beam on his face the breadth of the Govan as Lyall Cameron signs at Ibrox.
Contrary to predictions last week, Aberdeen would not make a late move for the Dundee midfield dynamo, despite Pittodrie’s interest in him.
Speaking of hijacks, the blue-clad Glaswegians appeared to attempt their own as the deadline approached. The final day of the transfer window began with shocking reports that Rangers made a last-ditch attempt to sign Union Berlin’s Yorbe Vertessen from Red Bull Salzburg.
In the end, it was an unsuccessful attempt.
Yorbe Vertessen outlines Red Bull Salzburg’s move as Rangers fail.
Belgian journalist Pieter Jan-Calcoen always believed that Rangers had left it too late.
That proved to be the case when Vertessen, best known for his stint at PSV Eindhoven, flew to Austria for a cost of £3.3 million.
Anyone familiar with Yorbe Vertessen will immediately recognize his distinguishing characteristics. A blistering pace and a ferocious ferocity. The taurine-fueled Austrian giants appear to be a perfect fit for a forward who plays every game as if he’s on a Red Bull IV drip.
“I have heard a lot of good things about FC Red Bull Salzburg and their environment,” Vertessen told the club’s internal media as Rangers were formally ruled out.
“I am very excited to be able to offer my all for this fantastic club and hopefully help the squad as soon as possible. I was in frequent touch with the management for a while and got the impression that they believed in me, which was a deciding factor for me.
“The playing style is a perfect fit for my attributes, and I am certain that I can grow here as a player and a person.”
If Rangers hadn’t delayed it until the last 24 hours of the window, they might have given Vertessen something to think about.
He definitely praised Salzburg’s effort in signing him. And perhaps the hasty nature of The Gers’ approach made him wonder how much they truly want him in the first place.
However, that can be explained. Or, at the very least, theorized.
A right-footer who prefers to drift in from the left, the Rangers’ late approach could be attributable to Rabbi Matondo’s departure late last week. Vertessen was most likely viewed as a substitute for the Welshman, but the delay in his eventual move to Hannover may have put an approach for the Belgian bullet on hold.
Salzburg believes former PSV Eindhoven starlet has ‘a lot of potential’.
“In Yorbe Vertessen, we get a versatile attacker we have been looking for a long time,” says Rouven Schroder, Salzburg’s Managing Director for Sport. “We are confident that he still has a lot of potential, and that we provide the best atmosphere for him to grow.
“By signing him, we gain flexibility, inventiveness, and goal threat. He will hopefully offer us enough to grin about.”
Vertessen, still only 24, crosses the border with a point to show after failing to stop Union Berlin’s terrifying slide from Champions League qualification to the depths of a relegation scrap.
