Nikola Katic told Ross Wilson that Rangers will buy him back in two years
Defender Nikola Katic has revealed that he told sporting director Ross Wilson that Rangers will be trying to sign him again in two years after he left this summer.
The Croatia international left on a permanent deal to join FC Zurich after falling out of favour under Giovanni Van Bronckhorst, but admits he didn’t want to leave.
Now in an interview with The Athletic [13 September], the defender has admitted that he cried upon his exit from Ibrox and says he told Wilson that he’ll be back when Rangers come calling again.
“I never cry but that day when people started calling and messaging me, I couldn’t stop,” he said.
“I flew back to Edinburgh and people saw me. They were saying I was a hero and that I shouldn’t leave. It was really difficult to leave as the support was amazing over the four years. Even when I was on loan, they wanted signed Hajduk shirts. It was a really big thing for me to be loved by the fans like that.
“I will always have a connection to Rangers. I said to Ross Wilson on my last day that I’ll see him in two years when he buys me back!”
Shame
There is a sense of “what if” about Katic’s career at Ibrox, because he got hit so hard by injury during his time at the club.
During three years he managed just 59 appearances in the famous blue shirt and ultimately was deemed not good enough by the manager as he wanted a different type of defender.
But with so many defensive issues this season, especially at set-pieces, it’s hard to argue against him that he could have potentially made a big difference to the team this season.
He’s managed to stay fit, something John Souttar hasn’t done, and there’s no doubt that he’s a better defender than James Sands. Ben Davies has struggled with his health too, so it’s possible that the club acted too hastily in selling him.
If he’s right and can perform well over the next two years then it’s very possible that he’s right and we will see him back at Ibrox, but I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were him.
In other Rangers news, key man misses training ahead of Champions League showdown vs Napoli