Mateo Cassierra was the transfer saga of last summer, the Colombian striker seemingly on Rangers radar.
Based at Russian side Sochi, a FIFA regulation that saw overseas players rip up their contracts looked to be one that Rangers could take advantage of, however, the 26-year old opted to stay in the Premier Liga.
An impressive 14 goals for Sochi brought the versatile forward to the Auchenhowie recruitment team’s attention.
There was though, another reason his name was mentioned.
As a former Ajax academy graduate, Cassierra was known to both Dave Vos and Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
How close was Mateo Cassierra to signing for Rangers?
A reported £8.5m transfer fee probably ended our interest although it is believed that Zenit St Petersburg paid significantly less for Cassierra.
For once though, it wasn’t just paper talk because the player himself confirmed that Rangers was an option that he had to consider:
“I hope within the next week or so, my future will be confirmed and I will sign for a club who are good for me.
“My priority is to stay in Europe because I have been here for five years now.
“The manager of Rangers knows me because when I was at Ajax, he was the manager of Feyenoord.
“So there are options for me that need to be evaluated.”
If you think Rabbi Matondo has been a flop, can you imagine the fall out if we had paid what Sochi were wanting for Cassierra?
The reported £2m paid for the Wales international is small change in comparison.
With just one goal all season, the Colombia youth international has failed to live up to expectations and Rangers have had a lucky escape.
Every penny has been a prisoner for Rangers in recent years and getting value for money is vital if the rebuild is to be successful.
Michael Beale is getting linked with players he knows, and has said as much himself.
In cases like this, knowing a player and what they are worth rather than taking a gamble, maybe isn’t such a bad idea after all.
