Rangers are set to welcome an out-of-sorts Aberdeen to Ibrox in the Scottish Premiership this week.
There was big talk about the Dons being title challengers this season but the Pittodrie club are without a Scottish Premiership win since November, a run that stretches back 11 games.
The January transfer window has offered Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin the chance to rejuvenate his squad with four signings in the door already in the northeast.
Now it’s been revealed that one of Aberdeen’s new arrivals might’ve been turning out in the blue of Rangers instead had things gone differently eight years ago.
Aberdeen signing offered to Old Firm
Aberdeen have forked out £700k to sign Kristers Tobers from Grasshoppers Zurich.
Tobers, 24, is the Latvian international team’s captain and will look to bring some order to the Dons’ leaky defence at Ibrox this week.
But it’s now being claimed that Rangers were interested in signing Tobers as a teenager during his time with Latvian outfit FK Liepaja.
That’s according to ‘well-travelled’ Scottish coach Gordon Young, who claims the centre-back was offered to both Rangers and Celtic in 2017 as a 17-year-old.
“In Latvia, club bosses always look to sell their home-grown talent as quickly as possible,” former Liepaja coach Young told the Scottish Sun.
“Kristers was just 17 at the time, but I’d quickly recognised his talent and potential and I made him my captain.
“He relished the opportunity and, in many ways, it aided his development in those formative years.
“After we qualified for the Europa League it came time to try and sell him, so I put him on the Old Firm’s radar.
“I mentioned him to a few teams down south and Sheffield United were one of the others showing an interest.“
Kristers Tobers Rangers trial injury heartbreak
More than just be offered to Rangers, Gordon Young claims that the Ibrox side were ready to offer Kristers Tobers a trial in Glasgow.
The interest had gone so far that the Ibrox side had even booked flights for a teenage Tobers as he looked to make an impression in Scottish football and even take in a Rangers game.
But as luck would have it, the defender would pick up a serious injury and the deal would collapse, with Tobers eventually moving to Lechia Gdansk in Poland three years later.
In a strange twist of fate, eight years on from when Rangers were interested, Kristers Tobers could be about to make his debut in Scottish football at Ibrox.
Only the centre-back will be turning out for Aberdeen.
“Up here, Rangers were keen, to the point his flights were booked and it was all arranged that he would spend a week on trial in Glasgow where he’d also take in a first-team match,” said Young.
“Then, as luck would have it, Kristers picked up an injury and that was that.
“I remember feeling so sorry for him at the time, but it goes to show he hasn’t let that early setback affect him at all.”
Kristers Tobers is one of four players who’ve joined Aberdeen ahead of the trip to Rangers, alongside Jeppe Okkels (Preston), Alfie Dorrington (Spurs) and Alexander Jensen (IF Brommapojkarna).
