Rangers were interested in Caleb Chukwuemeka during the summer transfer window but he joined Aston Villa instead and now, he’s experiencing a nightmare loan spell in Scotland.
Rangers were first credited with interest in Chukwuemeka in June 2021 by the Daily Mail when he was a Northampton Town player.
However, it quickly became clear that there was plenty of competition for the talented young striker [Sunday Mirror] and Villa eventually won the race, with his brother Carney’s presence at the Birmingham club likely a major factor in his decision.
He showed why he’s so highly rated with outstanding PL2 returns during the first half of the season, scoring seven goals and notching five assists in just nine appearances in the competition.
Then, last month, Villa sent him out on loan to Livingston, and upon his arrival in Scotland, he confirmed that Rangers had been in contact with his representatives prior to his move to Villa.
Therefore, Rangers fans were always going to be interested in how he fared in the Premiership.
So far, things could hardly be going any worse.
Once Rangers-linked Aston Villa loanee struggling at Livi
Almost a month after his move to the Tony Macaroni Arena, Chukwuemeka has still only made one start for the West Lothian outfit.
That came in a Scottish Cup clash against Ross County and he was hooked at half-time.
He was an unused substitute for a win at Hibernian at the end of January but has made four league appearances, including a ten-minute cameo at Ibrox.
All four of those outings have lasted less than half an hour, though, and he’s yet to muster a goal or an assist.
On Saturday, when Livi hosted Aberdeen, he was brought on with seven minutes remaining to provide some fresh legs after teammate Cristian Romero had been sent off.
However, he made such a limited impact – with just three touches – that manager David Martindale decided to take him off again in the final minute of normal time.
Whether it’s an attitude problem as has been suggested by some Livi fans or a case of the player simply not being ready for Premiership football, at this point, it’s looking like a blessing in disguise that Rangers missed out on Chukwuemeka.
Meanwhile, a Premier League manager has confirmed that a Rangers-linked player wanted to leave his current club in January.
