An audacious proposal has been made to bring Andy Robertson to Rangers this summer following his departure from Liverpool.
This will certainly raise eyebrows given Robertson’s well-documented associations with Celtic as a supporter, but it has been insisted that this would not be an insurmountable obstacle for either the player or the Light Blues fanbase.
It is the kind of transfer talk that captures the imagination. A world-class left-back, a free agent, and a club in need of defensive reinforcements heading into a crucial summer rebuild at Ibrox.
However, there is a significant complication already emerging that may render the conversation purely hypothetical.
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Alan Hutton makes Robertson to Rangers case
The man making the case is Alan Hutton, who believes Robertson’s quality would make him an ideal addition at Ibrox and that his Celtic connections should not be viewed as a dealbreaker.
Hutton acknowledged the elephant in the room directly, addressing the left-back’s history of attending Celtic games as a fan and the Old Firm banter the two shared at Scotland camps over the years.
However, the former Rangers defender was clear that professional history matters more than personal allegiances, and Robertson has never played for Celtic at the senior level.
His assessment of how the Gers fans would react was equally measured, suggesting that initial grumbles would quickly give way to appreciation once supporters witnessed Robertson’s quality on the pitch.
Speaking to the Edinburgh Evening News, via Mr Q, he said: “There’s no getting away from the fact that he’s absolutely quality. He’s been a great servant to Liverpool and Scotland, so I’d love to see him at Rangers, personally.
“From a Celtic point of view, Kieran Tierney and Robbo have fought it out for years in terms of Scotland.
“Would Andy Robertson want to come up here at Celtic and do that again at club level? I think at this stage of his career, he will want to play as much football as possible.
“I think that the Rangers would accept Robertson despite his Celtic ties. I know he’s been to certain games at Celtic Park as a fan, but it’s not like he’s played with Celtic before, professionally speaking.
“So I don’t think it would be a huge issue, given his quality. Maybe there’d be a few grumbles at the start, but I think when you see his quality and what he’s capable of, then that would kind of go to the back burner. The Rangers fans would quickly get over it.
“When Andy Robertson and myself were at Scotland camps together, we used to have banter back and forth about Rangers and Celtic. A lot of the Scotland players do.
“If there was an offer on the table, would he accept it? It’s going to be down to him, really.”
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Tottenham deal complicates things
However, Rangers’ hopes of even entering the conversation appear to have been dealt a significant blow already.
It has been widely reported that Tottenham Hotspur have struck a deal to sign Robertson on a free transfer this summer, placing him firmly on course for the Premier League, as opposed to a return to Scottish football.
Unless that deal collapses, Hutton’s vision of Robertson in a Rangers shirt looks set to remain exactly that – a vision.
Whether the Scot would want to move to Ibrox at all is another question.
