Speaking to Rangers.co.uk, a representative of US club, Orange County SC, has claimed they turned down Premier League and Bundesliga sides before striking a deal with Rangers.
The two signed off on a strategic partnership back in December, in an exciting move that was welcomed by many Bears.
There’s set to be an integration of the two clubs in various areas in the coming years, but some benefits have already been felt.
Orange County youngster, Francis Jacobs, starred for the Gers U17s at the recent Alkass Cup in Qatar, while three of Rangers’ top Academy talents have jetted out to California to gain first-team experience with the OCSC first-team.
The US club’s President of Soccer Operations, Oliver Wyss, says they remain convinced the Gers were the perfect club to link up with.
“Over the last two years, we have been approached by multiple European clubs and when we met with Rangers it was clear from the first minute that this would be a relationship that will benefit both parties,” he told Rangers.co.uk.
“We had talks with teams from the Premier League, from the Bundesliga and from Portugal and even though they were all great clubs, we felt that Rangers was the one for us.
“When you look at the entire club, not only is Rangers one of the most successful and historic clubs in European football history, it is a great club all around from the first team to the Academy, which is world-class. You put all these pieces together and there was a real willingness from the Rangers leadership to work with us and truly build a partnership that has merits on every single front.”
Verdict
There’s clear enthusiasm on both sides about how productive this partnership could prove to be in coming years.
Cammy Palmer, Matthew Shiels and Danny Finlayson are currently representing the Gers out in the US, and while the season has been suspended there too amid the global health crisis, hopefully, a few months down the line, they can get back to developing their skills and building up experience in the USL Championship.
Wyss’ comments here indicate the extent to which Rangers have been able to rebuild their image in recent seasons after what was an extremely difficult period.
A few years back, the idea of choosing the Gers for a partnership ahead of English or German top-flight clubs would have seemed bizarre.
Now, though, both on and off the field, the club are once again a force to be reckoned with.
