Rangers backed to seal new Ianis Hagi contract in ‘Weird’ admission
Billy Dodds has backed Rangers to try and tie Ianis Hagi to a new contract despite the “weird” situation he found himself in with Philippe Clement.
The attacking midfielder was frozen out at Ibrox at the start of the season and banished to the B team amid a contract stand-off after he returned from a loan spell at Alaves.
That issue was eventually solved and he returned to the first-team fold, with the 26-year-old contributing a goal and four assists in 13 Scottish Premiership appearances this season.
Therefore, as he sees his current contract expiring in the summer, Philippe Clement has a decision to make over a player he previously ostracised.
Speaking on The Go Football Radio Show Podcast (21 January, 1:03:02), ex-Rangers striker Dodds admitted he may have done enough to get an extension as he said: “It’s a weird one because I’m telling you, Philippe Clement did not fancy Hagi and that’s how well Hagi’s worked, absolutely grafted like mad to get himself back in the team.
“And maybe it is for him to go and move and get a financial reward somewhere else because he hasn’t got great pace, he doesn’t get past people on the outside, an odd time he does, but he likes to come inside the pitch and leave the space for the full-back and I thought they did that really well and when he did that Bajrami was filling the wing really well or Jefte was forward.
“He really got Rangers ticking again and maybe that’s for self-rewarded maybe, if we want to call it that. But I wouldn’t be surprised if Rangers were trying to get him to sign at least maybe a one-year contract.
“He’s done well but he’s not the finished article and it’s taken for now a bit more experience in him to be at Rangers for the penny to drop okay, I’m not going to earn myself a contract.”
Ianis Hagi future at Rangers hangs in the balance
As Dodds says, this is a decision that has only recently become a bit of a headache for the manager as he looks to have the best squad available to him with things at Ibrox needing a big lift.
While the player has drawbacks in his game, he has also shown the quality he has inside him and as a result, the Gers could do worse than offering him an extra year on his contract to see how he fares while having him as a squad player.
If the 26-year-old doesn’t leave Ibrox during the winter transfer window then it would leave the Light Blues in a position where they could lose him for free in the summer which would certainly suggest the Rangers hierarchy would have learned nothing from their past mistakes.
The player is said to be willing to discuss options about extending his stay in the Scottish Premiership and with this in mind, Clement’s team have to ensure they act soon, even if it does mean the boss swallowing his pride with a player he previously wasn’t keen on having.
In other Rangers news, one Light Blues transfer target is causing frustration at his current club as their manager lashes out.
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