‘Very low amount’ – Former Rangers player surprised after club sold him way too cheaply
Former Rangers striker Nikica Jelavic said that he was not consulted before being sold to Everton and that the £5m fee was too low.
The Croatian scored 36 goals in 56 appearances for the Ibrox club between 2010 and 2012, helping the Gers win the Scottish Premiership title in 2011.
However, his spell at the club coincided with a period of financial trouble and he was sold in January 2012 without speaking to former owner Craig Whyte.
“I never met him,” Jelavic told The Athletic of his relationship with Whyte.
“They just told me they accepted the offer from Everton. I don’t even remember who it was. To be honest I was surprised, as I thought they would at least get a few million more. I always wanted to play in the Premier League so it was a good opportunity for me and I don’t regret it, but it was a very low amount for the club so I don’t know why they accepted that amount.
“Once I was there, it (their financial woes) was all over the TV and in every newspaper. It was terrible for such a big club to have these problems.”
Lost potential
The ramifications of the financial situation that Rangers fell into in 2012 were obviously devastating, with the club being forced to enter liquidation and accept relegation to the bottom division of professional football in Scotland.
However, what was equally unfortunate was the break up of that 2010/11 title-winning side, that contained talented players including Jelavic, Kenny Miller, Kyle Lafferty, Steven Davis, Steven Naismith and El Hadji Diouf.
Under the management of Walter Smith, that side won the league title by one point from old firm rivals Celtic, with Jelavic finishing the season on 16 goals from 23 league appearances, second in the scoring charts at the club to only Miller.
It’s been a long time getting back to the top but Steven Gerrard has now achieved that and has a massive chance of landing the first Premiership title since 2011.
Rangers are six points clear and can build their lead to nine points with a win against Killie on Sunday.
They’re also unbeaten in all competitions.
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