When asked why he opted to choose Mainz over a number of rival suitors – Rangers among them – former Angers talisman Angelo Fulgini was unequivocal.
“I really wanted to play in the Bundesliga,” the former France U21 international explained, with Mainz completing what felt like a real coup of a transfer for them.
“There were a few clubs who were interested in me, but Mainz is the right club.”
One of those ‘clubs’, according to reports, were Rangers. According to L’Equipe, the Glasgow giants made a number of offers for Fulgini before Mainz snatched one of the most talented young playmakers in France from under the nose of then-Ibrox boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
But while Fulgini was renowned back home for his stylish footwork and defence-splitting passes, one attribute not often associated with the one-time Newcastle United target was physicality. And it just so happens that, under Bo Svensson at Mainz, physicality is key.
Fulgini, then, quickly began to resemble a tape deck in a Tesla. It just never felt right.
Angelo Fulgini leaves Mainz after just half a season in the Bundesliga
“(Fulgini has to go through an) adjustment phase,” Svensson, a coach renowned for his aggressive, high-pressing tactics, said back in October (LigaInsider). “Now, we’ve played a quarter of the season. I’m pretty sure Angelo is only going to get better.”
Svensson’s confidence, it seems, was a little misplaced. Because, after just six months, five starts and no goals in Mainz colours, Fulgini forced through a return to France on the final day of the January window, joining RC Lens on loan with an option to buy.
“Angelo played less than he had hoped for,” explains Mainz’ sporting director Christian Heidel (Kicker). “He approached us with the desire to join RC Lens. We wish him all the best and every success in Lens.”
Would Fulgini, labelled a ‘diamond’ of a footballer at Angers, have found life easier in the Glasgow goldfish bowl? Scotland is not a place for those faint of heart or those unable to compete physically – Amad Diallo struggled before taking England’s second-tier by storm at Sunderland – but the irony is that, in Mick Beale, Rangers now have a coach who may have relished getting his mitts on a player of Fulgini’s technical talents.
At QPR, Beale helped solidify Chris Willock and Ilias Chair as two of the EFL’s most feared creators. Since returning to Ibrox, meanwhile, Ryan Kent and Malik Tillman have shone in advanced attacking midfield roles; the former playing his best football for some time. Todd Cantwell, meanwhile, is another Fulgini-esque creator Beale was desperate to bring in.
There’s no guarantee that Fulgini would have replicated his dazzling Angers form at Ibrox. But Rangers, under Beale at least, feel like a far better fit than Mainz ever did.
