Graham Spiers hits back at Rangers fans after what he said about Dor Turgeman transfer
Rangers continue to be linked with a move for Maccabi Tel-Aviv striker Dor Turgeman.
Turgeman, 21, enjoyed a breakthrough season in the Israeli Premier League, scoring 15 goals and leading his side to the title. He also scored his first international goal for Israel in a World Cup qualifying game back in June.
New Rangers boss Russell Martin believes Turgeman has all the attributes to fire his team to success in the Scottish Premiership this season.
However, his potential transfer has landed acclaimed Scottish football journalist Graham Spiers in hot water.
Spiers fires back at critics after Turgeman comments
On Sunday (20 July), Spiers published a podcast episode questioning whether an Israeli should be welcome in Scotland.
The debate focused on whether it would be morally wrong for a Scottish club to sign an Israeli player due to the political situation in Israel.
Spiers himself concluded that a player shouldn’t be held to the actions of their government, but he has still faced criticism for even asking the question.
On Monday (21 July), he posted a statement on X defending his decision to publish the podcast.
It said: “There has been an utterly bizarre reaction to this podcast, from people who haven’t heard it, yet presume to have grasped the content, while getting it utterly wrong. It’s a debate, pure and simple.”
Most football fans only care about a player’s ability
Over the last decade or so, there have been a handful of high-profile scenarios where fans have protested against their club signing a player because of their actions off the pitch.
Perhaps most notably, former England striker Mason Greenwood found it difficult to secure a new club after being accused of domestic violence.
Various British clubs have had fans protest against signing players who have done time in prison.
This is something completely different entirely.
First off, Turgeman hasn’t done anything wrong. Secondly, no one is protesting against them joining Rangers.
| Appearances | Minutes Played | Goals | Assists |
| 38 | 2481 | 16 | 4 |
Spiers’ podcast essentially hosted a debate based on nothing. He has been accused of rage-baiting and certainly has succeeded in riling people up.
Ultimately, though, most Rangers fans will only care whether Turgeman can hit the back of the net for them regularly. That would be the case no matter where he was born.
If he can do that, they’ll be excited to welcome him to Ibrox.
Turgeman is keen on a move to Rangers, but there has been no sign of a bid yet.
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