THIS DEAL IS WONDERFUL FOR RANGERS
Buffel backs Hagi to thrive at Rangers and prove that his £3m fee is a bargain
FOR Ianis Hagi, three little words won the hearts of Rangers fans after his two priceless goals in a breathtaking 3-2 home Europa League victory over Braga in February.
‘It’s Ibrox, baby,’ was his message to love-struck supporters again yesterday as he concluded his loan switch from Belgian side Genk on a three-year permanent contract.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Sportsmail last month, the 21-year-old made no secret of his happiness in a light-blue jersey and his burning desire to experience the ‘unique’ atmosphere in Govan once more.
So his delight was clear to see last night as he finally sealed the deal.
Equally pleased was former Ibrox idol Thomas Buffel, who believes Rangers have secured a potentially great deal after negotiating Hagi’s transfer price down from an initial £4.4million to £3m.
‘Hagi is a really promising player, as he has shown so far at Ibrox, but he can still develop into an even better player’, the Belgian told Sportsmail.
‘There is still margin for growth there, so I think £3m is a good price for Rangers.
‘It’s not too high when you look at international players in other leagues in Europe moving for £10m or £15m.
‘If Hagi continues to do well for Rangers, then they will make double their money on him — or even more.
‘I can understand why Hagi fell in love with Rangers, especially after that game against Braga.
‘There are not too many stadiums in the world filled with 50,000 passionate fans every week.
‘Every player would love to play at a stadium like Ibrox every second week.
‘Also, Hagi will not know it now but, long after you have played for Rangers, you always get a lot of exposure and a lot of positive messages. It is a good move for him and also a good move for Rangers.’
Buffel spent nine years at Genk after heading back home from Rangers in 2008.
He believes Hagi would have shone at the Belgian side but for bad timing and a lack of patience on the Romanian’s part.
But he backed the son of legend Gheorghe to fulfil his potential at
Rangers under the guidance of Steven Gerrard.
‘Sometimes in football you just have to be in the right place, at the right time,’ Buffel noted.
‘It was maybe not the right time or the right place for Hagi in Belgium.
‘Genk, as a team, had played two or three years together and they became the champions of Belgium but then some players left and the manager left, too.
‘Hagi came in, he was direct, he had good vision and he scored in his first game, so it was very promising.
‘But he was unlucky. The new coach changed the team’s tactics to be more defensive as the team struggled, then the manager was sacked.
‘Hagi was the victim of bad timing. But sometimes you need to have a little bit of patience, too.
‘He came to a Champions League club in Belgium and they had players who were already established first-picks.
‘I don’t think he had the patience to wait for his chance because he wanted to play for his national team — and maybe the pressure of his famous family name made him want to play games quicker.
‘That’s perhaps why he didn’t wait and see if he would play more regularly. I don’t think he wanted to wait around to be the star.
‘I think if he had stayed at Genk, he would have proved a more regular player and a good player but he wanted to go out on loan and get games.
‘But a lot of talented young players have come to Genk and didn’t play much for the first half year, like Ruslan Malinovskyi, Leon Bailey and Wilfred Ndidi.
‘Then they started to get more chances and they improved quickly.
‘Now Malinovskyi plays for Atalanta, Ndidi is at Leicester City and Bailey is at Bayer Leverkusen (scoring the third goal in the 3-1 win against Rangers in the Europa League last 16 at Ibrox in March).
‘Sometimes it’s all to do with the timing.’
Buffel’s finest hour as a Rangers player was winning the Scottish title on a nail-shredding final day at Easter Road in 2005 as the team beat Hibs 1-0 while Celtic lost 2-1 at Motherwell.
He now hopes Hagi can take his own place in Ibrox folklore by stopping Celtic hitting ten-in-a-row.
‘I would like to see Hagi bring success to Rangers next season,’ added Buffel.
‘Yes, Celtic have won nine titles in a row but there has to be a bit of perspective because Rangers were out of the league for a long time.
‘It was not the same as the nine-in-a-row that Rangers won in the 1980s and 1990s.
‘But now it’s up to Rangers to stop Celtic. They had a good spell in the league last season and very good results in the Europa League as well.
‘Steven Gerrard has a lot of experience and he’s shown he can do a good job and can bring out the best in his players.
‘I’m sure Hagi will be looking forward to working with him on a permanent basis and improving.
‘Hopefully, if they can keep their best players and add some more new faces, they can challenge for the Premiership title next season.’
On top of Buffel’s praise, Rangers were assured they have signed one of the best two-footed young players in world football by a Romanian legend.
Emil Sandoi, who starred alongside Hagi senior at the 1990 World Cup, said: ‘I have seen very few players in the world who have the qualities of Ianis Hagi by being able to hit a ball as powerfully with both feet.
‘I was surprised when Ianis moved to Scotland because I thought the football there wouldn’t suit him and Belgium would be a better place to learn his trade.
‘But I don’t mind admitting I’ve been proved wrong. He’s proved in a very short space of time what a good player he is. He’s produced some fantastic performances.
‘Look at that home match against Braga — he won that game by himself. He eliminated the Portuguese on his own.
‘And you have to credit Steven Gerrard for giving him confidence. He’s as comfortable on the left as on the right and he’s been handed the freedom to play.
‘He’s an intelligent boy, on and off the pitch, and it’s a huge help to him that he has a manager who values him.’