Rangers are reportedly scouting Fortina Sittard goalkeeper Ivor Pandur but one former Scottish Premiership ace believes Ajax and PSV Eindhoven should consider making moves of their own.
Sieb Dijkstra, the one-time Motherwell shot-stopper who represented the likes of AZ Alkmaar and Roda JC in his native Netherlands, is well-placed to pass judgement on a man who’s cat-like reflexes and eye-catching composure laid the foundations for Fortuna Sittard to dispel any relegation fears during an impressive 2022/23 campaign.
Ivor Pandur was linked with Liverpool as a teenager. It’s easy to see why.
And, on the back of some highly-competent displays, the rumours are returning; The Daily Mail reporting that Rangers sent scouts to watch Pandur during Fortuna’s recent Eredivisie clash with PSV Eindhoven.
Pandur was in typically impressive form against PSV.
And Dijkstra wonders if Rangers, presuming they step up their interest, could face competition from two of the biggest teams in the Netherlands, the Hellas Verona-owned Pandur expected to be available for a very affordable sum once Fortuna Sittard turn his loan deal into a permanent transfer.
Who will be Rangers new goalkeeper?
“I think that he a very mature goalkeeper,” Dijkstra tells Soccer Nieuws. “I would put him at PSV and also at Ajax, by the way.
“It is of course a (big) difference whether you are the goalkeeper at Fortuna or at the top level. But he exudes so much peace and confidence. And he is only 23! In terms of his appearance, he comes across as experienced.”
Pandur, a former Croatia U21 international, may be viewed at Ibrox as a low-cost alternative to Mick Beale’s leading target; Jack Butland. Though a free-agent in July, Butland’s £35,000-a-week wages would put him amongst Rangers’ highest earners.
“Ivor has developed fantastically this season,” Fortuna director Sjoerd Ars beams. “He is a top professional, works hard every day and always with a big smile.”
The always outspoken Beale, meanwhile, believes that Rangers are on the verge of announcing Allan McGregor’s long-term replacement at Ibrox. He did, however, suggest that Butland is no longer the most likely addition, even if a deal for the Manchester United benchwarmer is not quite out to the question just yet.
“Butland is still an option,” Beale explains. “(But the media) are on a wild goose chase (saying the deal is close to being completed) You are getting further away.
“We will announce a goalkeeper in the next 10 days or so I believe. So it is pretty much done.”