Oduwa heads south after loan deal is cut short
NATHAN ODUWA last night returned to parent club Tottenham — as Rangers boss Mark Warburton closed in on the capture of St Johnstone winger Michael O’Halloran. Oduwa confirmed via social media that his season-long loan at Ibrox had been cut short and he has now returned to London. The 19-year-old initially caught the eye with great flashes of skill, and went on to make 19 appearances for Rangers, scoring once for the Championship leaders. But he featured less prominently in recent times and has not played since a 2-1 defeat at Falkirk last month. ‘My time at Rangers has come to an end,’ Oduwa posted on Twitter last night. ‘But I’d like to thank everyone associated with Rangers for making me feel at home. ‘I want to wish the players good luck for the rest of the season and hope they get Rangers back to the Scottish Premiership.’ Oduwa’s departure south comes as Rangers close in on O’Halloran. The 25-year-old was left out of the St Johnstone squad for Saturday’s goalless home draw with Hamilton after boss Tommy Wright decided he was not ‘mentally right’ after two failed bids by Rangers. But it is understood the two clubs are in advanced talks regarding a £500,000 move to Ibrox and O’Halloran could be a Rangers player within the next 48 hours. After Saturday’s 4-1 win over Livingston, Warburton, whose side are five points clear at the Championship summit after Falkirk and Hibs drew 1-1 yesterday, admitted he was close to a double-signing. The Ibrox boss said: ‘Michael is a St Johnstone player and I’m never going to talk about another team’s players. ‘We will only ever comment once business is completed. ‘However, we think we are close with a couple of players. Hopefully, we will get the deal(s) over the line in the coming days.’