Fashion Sakala has been linked with a move away from Rangers for most of the summer and his absence from the Germany trip only added fuel to the fire.
Michael Beale said that there was nothing new to update on a possible exit, but the fact that the Zambia international wasn’t there or at the open Ibrox training session suggests that something is happening behind the scenes.
Speculation has only increased after a post on Instagram suggested that Fashion Sakala could be waving goodbye to the Rangers support.
Posted without a comment, a cryptic photo could mean nothing, but given the recent speculation, it is more than a bit of a coincidence.
Fashion Sakala nears Rangers exit as evidence adds up
Like a bad penny, the 26-year old always seemed to find himself back in the starting XI and playing in big games despite three managers not fancying him as being good enough.
On his day, he would torment opposition defences – a hat-trick at Motherwell the perfect example – but there was always an element of chaos that wasn’t a benefit.
It isn’t that Fashion Sakala is selfish or greedy, far from it, it’s just that his decision making can leave a lot to be desired and good opportunities can be lost as a result – missing two open goals at Hampden v Celtic also takes a lot of forgiving.
The flip side, is games like the one against Hamburg where a goal and a penalty that he won was the difference between the two sides.
If the £4m fee being reported for Fashion Sakala is accurate then it makes a lot of sense for Rangers.
He isn’t going to start a lot of games or get offered a new contract, now is the time to sell and his numbers over the last two seasons are good enough to earn the club some decent money.
The only problem will be whether or not the player himself wants to leave, with one move turned down already, it might not be as simple as we think.
