Rangers will have one eye on Ianis Hagi – and he turned in an impressive display for Alaves on Sunday evening.
Rangers went through some big changes over the summer.
Allan McGregor, Filip Helander, Scott Arfield, Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos all left Rangers at the end of their contracts.
Antonio Colak, Glen Kamara and Fashion Sakala were all sold on, and Michael Beale decided to axe Ianis Hagi too.
The Romanian playmaker was given permission to join Alaves on loan, a decision some Rangers fans still have a hard time accepting.
Ianis Hagi makes a big impact for Alaves
Some may accept that Hagi maybe wasn’t at his best after returning from injury, but letting him go and bringing him Sam Lammers looks dubious at best.
Hagi is now featuring in La Liga and came off the bench for Alavas against Atletico Madrid on Sunday night.
With Alaves 2-0 down, Hagi went close to finding the net as he sent a left-footed volley flashing wide of the post.
Hagi did make his impact though as he showed great vision to pick out Ander Guevara on the edge of the box, giving Alaves a consolation in a 2-1 defeat.
The Spanish media were impressed; AS rated Hagi as ‘one of the best’ Alaves players, even as a substitute, praising his attacking influence.
Local newspaper Noticias de Alava rated Hagi at six out of 10, suggesting that he was the only Alaves player capable of worrying the Atletico defence.
It wasn’t enough to prevent a defeat but Hagi certainly impressed on Sunday.
Philippe Clement may face a decision on Hagi
It’s unclear whether Alaves have plans to pursue a permanent move for Hagi in 2024 and Philippe Clement could face a decision on his future.
Hagi joined Genk in 2019, but Clement had just left the club that summer, completing a move to Club Brugge.
The pair never worked together, but Clement may be familiar with Hagi from his rather brief spell in Belgium.
Hagi is still under contract until 2026, and Clement may be tempted to try and bring him back into the Rangers fold.
That’s a long way off yet, but Rangers will be well aware of Hagi’s performances in Spain ahead of his planned 2024 return.
