If it wasn’t for that most cruel of injury blows, a player Rangers could and probably should have gone for might now be strutting his stuff at one of the ‘big boys’ of Italian football.
At least, that is the opinion of Lewis Ferguson’s father.
Former Rangers midfielder Derek watched his son blossom at Bologna last term, captaining the Rossoblu into the Champions League for the very first time while establishing himself as one of the leading midfield talents of a major European league.
Now valued at around £20 million, per the Daily Mail, Ferguson had been tipped to follow his former Bologna boss Thiago Motta to Juventus. There is Premier League interest, as well.
And his dad believes that a move might have come about too. If not for an ACL injury which not only scuppered Lewis’ chances of joining a truly A-list institution but also robbed him off a place in Scotland’s Euro 2024 squad.
Rangers ‘missed a trick’ with Bologna’s Lewis Ferguson
Every cloud, as they say, has a silver lining.
Bologna, as they manage Ferguson through his recovery, have now seized the chance to tie their skipper down to a new contract.
And, to think, there was a time when all roads appeared to lead to Ibrox for the former Aberdeen starlet. In addition to his father Derek, Lewis’ uncle Barry Ferguson captained Rangers for years in the naughties.
Lewis even started out in Rangers’ academy too. According to his agent – Bill McMurdo speaking to Calcio Napoli 24 – they ‘rejected’ the chance to retain the services of a player who, over than a decade later, is rapidly turning into one of the Scottish Premiership’s most successful modern exports.
But why did Rangers not return to right the wrongs of 2013 when Aberdeen showed that they were willing to accept offers of just £3 million?
That remains a source of much mystery to Ferguson Sr, claiming that Celtic were the only one of the Old Firm duo to really make a move before he put pen to paper with Bologna.
“What I heard was there was an inquiry. I think there was an inquiry from Celtic,” Derek Ferguson says, speaking on the Let Me Be Frank podcast.
“But absolutely nothing from Rangers. I was a little bit surprised considering his uncle was a top player for Rangers – captain, a legend – and I played as well. I thought they might have a look at that.
“But I don’t know the relationship between Rangers and Aberdeen, if that had a part to play in it. I’m not sure. But I just think (Rangers) missed a trick with a lot of the younger players.”
Celtic actually came closer than Rangers
Philippe Clement’s side have come in for plenty of criticism in recent times, with many accusing them of failing to act on the best young talent in the country.
The aforementioned Barry Ferguson cannot understand why Rangers did not move for Lawrence Shankland, Josh Doig or another Scot who swapped the Premiership for Bologna in Aaron Hickey.
Doig is also in Italy these days, with Sassuolo. He and Ferguson have now been joined by Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour, the former Manchester United and Brighton and Hove Albion men touching down in Napoli at the end of August.
Both McTominay and Gilmour will be hard pushed emulating Ferguson’s impact, however, with his two-time Scottish Premiership-winning father confirming that he is ‘coming on leaps and bounds’ in his return to the pitch.
“Looking back, it the best thing that could have happened,” Derek Ferguson adds with regards to his son’s eventual switch to Serie A. “If he keeps improving, he’s got a lot of football to play…”
