Former Glasgow Rangers manager Alex McLeish believes it is "amazing" that the Gers are said to be interested in Sampdoria midfielder Jakub Jankto.
Jankto on radar
Reputable transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano recently revealed that the Gers were "so close" to signing 24 year-old Jankto. In the end, though, he ended up staying in Italy.
The fact that the 54-time Scottish champions were linked at all appears to have delighted McLeish. He told Ibrox News:
"It’s amazing to see Rangers getting linked with young international players like this after playing catch-up for four or five years.
"I think that they’ve been pretty studious in terms of the players that are brought in. A lot of them do have young legs and are learning the game but they’ve adapted really quickly.
"A lot of players can come and become a household name in Scotland. You saw Virgil van Dijk come here, spread his wings and go on to be a superstar.
"But it’s not easy coming to play for Rangers – you have to stand up and be counted."
Shows how far the Gers have come
Indeed, this is a big boost for the Gers even if they were unable to actually get their hands on the player in the end. Jankto is a player who has 28 caps for the Czech Republic, and has also previously been linked with Italian giants Juventus. The fact that the Gers were even in with a chance is a big statement of what they are trying to achieve at Ibrox.
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Currently valued at £8.55m (Transfermarkt), he would not have come cheap, and after two goals and one assist in six matches in Serie A so far this term for Sampdoria, his current employers may have decided against selling him. This level of player, though, is one the Gers should be targeting on a regular basis if they want to get back to where they belong.
In other news, Rangers fans surprisingly laud this Scotland star.