Former Ibrox midfielder Andy Halliday believes Rangers ‘might live to regret’ not signing Luis Palma before the Honduras international sealed a £3.5 million move to Old Firm rivals Celtic over the summer.
There was a time, a couple of months ago, when the then-Aris Thessaloniki winger appeared destined to end up on the blue side of Glasgow.
Rangers, according to reports, submitted a £2.5 million bid, with Luis Palma himself seemingly opening the door when admitting that he would be tempted by a switch to Scotland. If Philippe Clement’s side could turn back the clock, would they have done more to get a deal ‘over the line’ – to borrow Halliday’s term – rather than walking away as Aris held out for more?
Former Rangers target Luis Palma shining for Celtic
“I’ve said a few times. Rangers might live to regret not getting him over the line during the summer,” Halliday tells Clyde SuperScoreboard, praising Palma’s moment of ‘magic’ to set up Oh-Hyeon Gyu during Celtic‘s 6-0 hammering of Aberdeen over the weekend.
“And I think we’re starting to see why. I think he’s shown real, real quality and that ball in (for Oh’s goal) is the moment of the weekend.”
Palma scored one and grabbed a hat-trick of assists as Celtic made mincemeat of the Dons, going from 6-0 losers to 6-0 victors in the space of just a few days.
In just five Scottish Premiership starts, Palma has nine goal contributions already. Including his well-taken finish against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League – a strike Gers legend Ally McCoist described as ‘terrific’ – Palma now has five goals and six assists as a Celtic player, that £3.5 million investment repaid with interest.
Mick Beale may rue decision
“Someone from his club (Aris) was pushing him around. And we could have taken him on loan. Maybe with an obligation (to buy) at the time,” former Rangers boss Mick Beale explained in September, comments which have aged about as well as a pint of milk on a July afternoon in Palma’s Honduran homeland (Scottish Sun).
“But it wasn’t one we were willing to do.”
