Rangers missed out on £15m machine in 2000 under Dick Advocaat
Rangers missed out on £15m machine in 2000 under Dick Advocaat
Glasgow Rangers transfer business in January stretched to three loan signings – albeit one has an obligation to buy clause – and it is clear that Philippe Clement is aiming for the summer window in order to spend money on new arrivals.
His budget may well be determined by how many players the 49-year-old coach can move on, and with six players out of contract at the end of the season, a large portion of the wage budget could be cleared.
Unfortunately, this is how the club have to operate in this day in age, and it means the Light Blues have missed out on more than their fair share of transfer targets.
Over the previous few years, Rangers could have signed Ivan Toney, Joey Veerman and Luis Palma if they had been a bit less stringent on the purse strings and all three have enjoyed success elsewhere, notably Toney.
This hasn’t just been happening since the club retained their top flight status, however, as managers such as the late Walter Smith and Dick Advocaat have also missed out on the odd superstar, which could have bolstered the Ibrox side significantly.
Back at the turn of the century, it was the Dutchman who was keen on signing a promising compatriot, yet he lost out to Manchester United…
Rangers came close to signing Rudd van Nistelrooy
Following their second successive title win during the 1999/00 campaign, Advocaat looked at strengthening his side so they could progress in Europe, something they had not done under the Dutchman’s reign thus far.
The Gers were keen on bringing Ruud van Nistelrooy to Glasgow that summer, yet Advocaat admitted later that the club had failed with a £15m bid to lure him from PSV Eindhoven, where he had emerged as one of the finest young strikers on the continent.
“We could have brought van Nistelrooy into Ibrox so I called his agent because he comes from the same town in Holland where I was brought up,” said Advocaat. “But he told me that there`s no way Ruud will come to Scotland.”
The striker instead chose to sign for Manchester United in a deal worth around £19m in the summer of 2001, although injury had prevented him from joining the year before.
It shows that Rangers were eyeing up a move for a player who would turn into a world-class centre-forward, but instead, they spent £12m on bringing Tore Andre Flo to Glasgow from Chelsea in November 2000.
What might have been for the Light Blues if they had managed to convince Van Nistelrooy that Ibrox was the place to be 24 years ago? Instead, he shone in the Premier League for the Red Devils before joining Real Madrid.
Ruud van Nistelrooy would thrive for Man United
Sir Alex Ferguson had led the Old Trafford side to three league titles in a row and the signing of Van Nistelrooy in 2001 looked like it was the final piece of the jigsaw as he sought to become the first manager to win four straight titles in England.
Arsenal won the double that season, however, but the Dutchman’s goals ensured they would win the Premier League during the 2002/03 campaign and the former PSV striker ended up scoring 80 goals during his first two seasons in Manchester, a staggering total.
He led United to the FA Cup in 2004 having plundered another 30 goals for the side, but this would be the final campaign that the supporters would see him at his very best, as injuries began to take their toll on the forward.
His final two campaigns at United saw Van Nistelrooy score 16 and 24 goals respectively, but only the League Cup was won before he departed to join Real Madrid at the end of the season.
At his peak, the Dutchman was one of the most lethal centre-forwards in the world and former teammate Rio Ferdinand lauded him, saying: “Van Nistelrooy was the most devastating finisher I have ever played with. We could win a game by three or four goals but, if he hadn’t scored, he would sulk.”
High praise indeed and the player won two La Liga titles at Madrid, before ending his career at Malaga in 2012.
Imagine the success Rangers could have had if the former Man United striker signed for them instead?
Rangers struggled without Ruud van Nistelrooy
Having missed out on his compatriot, Advocaat oversaw a woeful campaign in which the Gers finished a distant second behind Celtic, who looked rejuvenated under new manager Martin O’Neil, securing the domestic treble in his first season in charge.
While a cup double was secured under Alex McLeish – Advocaat’s successor – the Light Blues once again struggled in the league.
There is no doubt they would have certainly challenged Celtic a lot more closely had they been able to call upon the goals of Van Nistelrooy on a regular basis, as Flo simply was not worth the £12m Rangers shelled out on him.
During his time at the club, the former Chelsea forward scored 36 goals in 79 matches for the Glasgow side, and while his awkward nature in the opposition box was certainly successful, he failed to really hit it off with the supporters.
Van Nistelrooy, on the other hand, went on to showcase his talents in arguably the best league in Europe, while also shining in the Champions League and missing out on him must go down as a massive what if moment for the Gers.
This is all conjecture, of course. He may have arrived in Scotland and failed to settle. At a time when money was seemingly no object, the Ibrox side made their fair share of wrong moves and failing to sign the Dutchman was certainly one of them.
While Clement won’t be able to sign players in a similar class to him, he will be hoping that the board back him significantly and that he signs the players who not only can improve the team, but will also generate the team plenty of profit in the long run.