They left me no choice but to leave the club I love
SAYS LEWIS MACLEOD
LEWIS MACLEOD last night insisted he would have been happy to stay at Rangers and only left for Brentford when it became clear the club weren’t trying to keep him.
The midfielder completed his cut-price £850,000 move last weekend as the crisis-hit Ibrox outfit cashed in on their prize asset.
Macleod, 20, has committed to the London side until 2018 but still had two-and-a-half years left on his deal in Govan and had been valued at more than double the fee he was sold for. With the Light Blues short of money and getting by on loans, they accepted the first bid that came in — and that told Macleod it was time to move on.
‘When you’re a Rangers fan, it’s hard to let go and I’ve never experienced anything else in football up to now,’ he said. ‘I definitely wasn’t eager to get out the door but when the opportunity came, with everything that was happening outside football at the club, I leant towards moving away.
‘It all happened quickly. If things had maybe happened differently off the pitch with regards to the club trying to keep me when someone came in, I might have stayed. I didn’t have much time to process it but it’s done now and I’m looking forward to a different challenge.’
Macleod (right) is adamant on- field results didn’t influence his decision, despite Rangers lagging 13 points behind Hearts and struggling in the fight to win promotion.
‘After a c ouple of defeats, it was maybe the case that realistically we were starting to look more at the play- offs,’ he said. ‘Obviously you go out to win every game but we knew a couple of months ago it was going to be hard to win the league.
‘Hopefully Rangers get to the play- offs at least. If I’d still been there, they would have been good games for me to play in, so none of that was a factor in trying to get out. Nothing on the playing side made me want to move but a different opportunity came up.’
Macleod is looking forward to life with promotion-chasing Brentford — although a hamstring injury has ruled him out of today’s visit of Rotherham — but admitted he is already pining for a return to Rangers later in his career.
‘ It’ s exciting t o be starting with a new team but the surroundings here are nothing compared to Ibrox,’ said Macleod. ‘ You realise how massive Rangers are when you go elsewhere but there’s still a good atmosphere at Griffin Park. ‘ I’ll be thinking about Rangers this weekend and hopefully they can get a win at Alloa.
‘I am not really thinking about what I’ve walked away f r om. I’m j ust trying to look forward, instead, and it will be good to get started with Brentford when I’m fit again. ‘I’d love to go back to Rangers later in my career. The most disappointing thing about leaving is the way I went. I’ve been injured so I wasn’t able to play my last game knowing that would be the case and say goodbye to the fans.
‘I’d obviously like to be welcomed back at some point but I understand why some supporters might not appreciate my reasons for going.
‘Whenever I’m back in Glasgow, I’ll try to get along to a few of the games. But I’d love to return to play for the club at some point, too, however many years down the line that is.’
Everton and Burnley were among Macleod’s suitors and would likely have paid more money. But the Bees moved first and, while Macleod couldn’t control what Rangers received, he was keen to join them because of how quickly opportunities to play might arise.
‘The one thing I’ve always said is if I was ever to leave Rangers, I wouldn’t go somewhere where I wouldn’t really play,’ he said. ‘I wanted to give myself the best chance of getting games and Brentford seemed the right option.
‘The club have come really far this season alone and won a lot of games. I’m hoping to improve with playing at a higher level.’
Macleod’s injury is short term but he won’t rush back. His lay off will also give him time to adapt to new surroundings, which he admits seem strange having been with Rangers since he was aged 10.
‘I’m not sure when I’m going to be back playing,’ he added. ‘It’s the type of injury that can take a bit of time to heal. But I don’t want to rush back and get injured again.’