Carlos Pena’s loan rumours over the last week or so have been killed off, so what now for him and Rangers?
The news over the last couple of days had him on his way back home once again. He was to return to Leon for a thrid spell at the club on a loan deal after returning from Necaxa.
There was always going to be the issue that his reputation was falling away in Mexico after two failed loan spells there. And it appears that may very well be the case as Leon denied the transfer rumours.
Jesus Martinez Marguia, who is the club’s Chief Executive, claimed that there is no interest from his side regarding the Rangers flop.
“No, to Gullit. I wish him the best of successes.
“He is a great player, he is a great friend personally and I hope he does well in his career. But for now he will not return.”
Where do Rangers go from here?
Rangers now have an expensive problem on their hands. Pena’s return to the club will leave them with a player on high-wages sitting doing nothing. Given the amount of money the club are paying him, that’s just unacceptable.
There is the very small chance that Rangers try to get some value from him on the pitch. Pena made 14 appearances before heading to Cruz Azul last season. During that period he also bagged five goals.
Therefore, Pena can clearly perform in Scotland and chip in with some valuable goals. The issue is getting him in the right frame of mind to perform as well as finding a place for him in the squad.
What makes this highly doubtful, however, is the fact that Steven Gerrard has shown no desire to bring Pena back and compete. It’s almost as if his return has been forgotten about.
It also says a lot about Pena’s place at Ibrox that he can’t get in a side so lacking in creative midfield talents.
Regardless, Rangers have a decision to make after this loan rumour was denied. Do they keep searching for a place to send him, or do they try their luck and give him a chance to impress?
One thing’s for sure, he’s certainly taking enough money from the club to make a contribution.
