As the 10 men of Rangers toiled against Alashkert, away from an inspired second-half showing and the eventual 1-0 Europa League win, the introduction of Juninho Bacuna was a major positive from the match.
Links to the Dutch-born Curacao midfielder have intensified this week as the Gers get their man following reports spanning back to last season.
After the signing was announced pre-match, the Gers introduced Bacuna at half-time of the game with the Ibrox crowd restless following a scoreless first 45 and John Lundstram’s red card.
It wasn’t the perfect circumstances to announce your arrival at Ibrox, but a European night under the lights is certainly a grand occasion no matter the circumstances on the field.
Bacuna himself has claimed that he’s been watching the Gers from afar as he talked up the “history” of the club.
“Rangers is a big club with a lot of history. I know there was interest from last season,” Bacuna told RangersTV.
“Unfortunately it didn’t go through. I kept my eye a little bit on Rangers last season and they became champions. It is nice to be part of it now.
“It is great [to be joining a winning team]. It is great that a team like Rangers are interested in you, especially after they became champions.
“To be part of this is nice and it means a lot. I am ready to start going and prove myself and learn from the boys, learn from the manager. I am ready to get started and I can’t wait.
“I had experience in the Premier League and unfortunately it didn’t go like I wanted.
“But I will take the experience from that and bring it here and show what I can do here.
“I am 24-years-old and I am hungry to play. I think the style that the team is going to play will suit me and I think I can be at my best here.”
But whilst Bacuna’s introduction to the fans was on the European stage, the signing of the midfielder will generate a European headache for the Ibrox club.
Whatever happens next week in Armenia – Rangers’ 1-0 lead and restoration to 11 men should be enough to beat Alashkert – Rangers will be in European football next season.
For the club’s prestige – and finances – it’s better that this is in the Europa League and not the Europa Conference League.
But as the club’s last European squad showed, the Gers are being squeezed due to UEFA registration rules which means all clubs must have at least eight homegrown players.
Four of those must be trained within the Gers Academy for three years before the age of 21 whilst all eight must have trained anywhere in Scotland for three years before the age of 21.
As a result of Rangers’ imbalanced squad, the Gers have only been able to submit 22 of 25, leaving three spaces open due to having only five players in the squad registered as homegrown.
For reasons not yet made clear, Fashion Sakala has been left out of the squad this time around but with Bacuna’s arrival beckoning, expect players to be disappointed when the group stages kick off, no matter the competition.
Bacuna might not be the final arrival of the window but one player reportedly the subject of a £3m Ibrox bid has been linked with a new deal at his current club.
