Rangers could sign an upgrade on Cyriel Dessers if Groningen’s former Motherwell talisman Kevin van Veen returns to the Scottish Premierhip during the January transfer window.
Speaking to RTV Noord in the aftermath of that eye-catching interview earlier in the week, Kevin van Veen did his level best to distance himself from quotes, reported by the Scottish Sun, suggesting that he was in the midst of an old-fashioned bust-up with Groningen coach Dirk Lukkien.
“This is a newspaper that apparently wants to create clickbait and a situation around me,” Van Veen protested.
It may be telling, however, that the 32-year-old did not makean effort to distance himself from the comments which caught the attention of many a Rangers supporter. In that very same interview, Van Veen admitted that there was ‘definitely interest in me from Rangers’ before the well-travelled forward swapped Motherwell for the Dutch second tier last summer.
And, with Van Veen also opening the door to a potential Premiership return, this is an opportunity Philippe Clement’s challengers are being urged to seize. Especially with Cyriel Dessers still yet to convince despite some improvements in recent weeks.
Will Rangers return for Kevin van Veen?
“From what I’ve seen, (Van Veen) is better than Dessers,” argues former Scotland international James McFadden, speaking to Open Goal.
The late-blooming Van Veen, once of Northampton Town and Scunthorpe United, scored 40 goals in 83 Motherwell appearances. He was even nominated for the division’s Player of the Year award last term after hitting the net 25 times in Scotland’s top-flight.
And Derek Ferguson, once of Rangers, cannot understand why his former employers did not make a move when Van Veen was available for just £500,000.
Some £4 million less than the Glasgow giants eventually splashed out on Dessers.
25 Scottish Premiership goals
“I’d take him in a minute. I don’t understand why they never went in for him at the start of the season, but that was Michael Beale,” Ferguson sighs.
“I think he’s good enough. He thinks he’s good enough, and that’s the important thing. He’ll think; ‘I can get into a Rangers side if they brought me back and I can score goals.’
“Did you see the season before, where he’d never scored that amount of goals? His general play, his link-up play, everything else about him… It was a different class.”
