Speaking on Open Goal’s Keeping the Ball on the Ground Podcast, Hibernian midfielder Scott Allan has explained why he never joined Rangers, despite being heavily linked with an Ibrox switch.
The 28-year-old playmaker was linked with the Gers in 2014 but signed a two-year deal with Hibs.
The following summer, when both sides were in the Championship, the Gers made multiple bids and Allan handed in a transfer request.
Hibs were reluctant to sell to a club who were, at that time, direct rivals for promotion and eventually, he joined Celtic.
The player claims that due to the low nature of Rangers’ offers, he never had the option of heading to Ibrox.
“It never came down to that because Rangers had made a few low bids with instalments and I think that’s what angered Hibs to begin with,” he told Open Goal’s Keeping the Ball on the Ground Podcast.
“By the time that had happened, they obviously didn’t have the money to pay for the transfer fee that Celtic were willing to pay.
“Celtic had gave them Dylan McGeouch and Liam Henderson as well. It was just Celtic who were in for me at that point.”
“Every player has the belief that they can go somewhere and play. That was the way I felt. I felt I could go there and play but it wasn’t to be.”
Verdict
Allan’s move to Parkhead sparked outrage amongst Bears, given that he had purported to be a Rangers fan.
Perhaps it’s true that his hand was forced to an extent by circumstances, including Hibs’ reluctance to sell to the Gers and the unsatisfactory bids coming out of Ibrox.
That won’t be enough to placate most fans, though, who feel he crossed a line by switching to the Hoops.
Although he was technically at Celtic for four years, he spent much of his time out on loan, making just 13 league appearances in total, before re-joining Hibernian permanently in the summer of 2019.
He’s had a decent season to date, scoring five times and registering eight assists in the Premiership, but for many, those numbers wouldn’t be convincing enough to support another Gers transfer attempt in the next transfer window.
