Michael Beale shares Malik Tillman verdict ahead of Rangers v PSV
Michael Beale has explained that Rangers did everything they could to keep Malik Tillman at Ibrox this season before Bayern Munich decided to activate a buy-back clause.
The American spent last season on loan with the Light Blues scoring 10 times in 28 Scottish Premiership games and Rangers had a £5m option to make the deal permanent after the loan [The Times, 6 February].
Beale has admitted that the Gers activated their option to make the transfer permanent, but due to the level of interest from other clubs, Bayern opted to immediately exercise their right to bring the 21-year-old back to Germany before loaning him to PSV.
Discussing the transfer saga in his press conference (21 August) before the Champions League play-off against the Dutch club, Beale said: “The agreement was in place before I came in terms of how it was structured and we stuck to our side of the agreement.
“I don’t want to go too far into it but the agreement was a number that we had to hit and Bayern could hit a number straight back and they did that. He’s their player, that’s their prerogative, so in a way, it shows the value that Bayern have on him. They’ve only loaned him out again this year.”
What could have been
When Tillman lines up against the Gers at Ibrox on Tuesday (22 August) there will likely be many wondering what might have been if the forward had remained in Glasgow this season, especially with Beale’s refresh of the squad this summer.
The front line at Ibrox couldn’t be much more different from the end of the last campaign, with Danilo, Cyriel Dessers and Sam Lammers all arriving, while Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos have moved on to new pastures.
Tillman would have been an excellent asset to have at the Light Blues’ disposal this season, with his goal-scoring record in Scotland very impressive, especially for such a young striker. If he had remained at Ibrox it would have likely seen one of the aforementioned new front-three to have not been a target.
But the nature of securing someone so talented on loan is the fact that you won’t always have the power in ensuring he remains at the club and that is an advantage of Beale and Rangers’ business this summer as they have ensured their biggest signings have been permanent deals.
In other Rangers news, there could be one more cherry on the cake addition at Ibrox before the transfer window closes