Rangers officially miss out as January target seals £5m top-flight transfer

Rangers have now officially missed out on Josh Doig as the former Hibernian left-back secures £5 million move from Hellas Verona to Serie A rivals Sassuolo. 

That means there’s another left-back down.

Given that Borna Barisic’s contract is up and Ridvan Yilmaz is probably going to leave sooner rather than later,

Philippe Clement has made it clear that Ibrox will need to find a replacement.

However, locating one is turning out to be simple.

Owing to injuries to Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas,

Liverpool recalled Owen Beck from his Dundee loan and turned down a Rangers enquiry.

Kai Wagner re-signed with Philadelphia Union,

a Major League Soccer team.

Josh Doig, on the other hand,

has officially joined Sassuolo after the Neroverdi completed a £5 million agreement to sign the 21-year-old Edinburgh native from Hellas Verona, who faced relegation.

Josh Doig leaves the Rangers for Sassuolo
A statement on the Gialloblu website states,

“Hellas Verona FC announces that it has sold to Sassuolo – definitively – the right to the sporting services of the Scottish defender Josh Doig.”

“Josh is appreciated by Hellas Verona FC, and we wish him the best of luck in the future for his athletic career.

“Doig, who rose to prominence at Hibs,

is the most recent young Scot to follow in the footsteps of former Aberdeen midfielder Lewis Ferguson and advance in his career in Italy.

Lewis Hickey is currently with Brentford following a stint at Bologna.

Paradoxically, Hellas had suggested Ridvan Yilmaz as a possible Doig substitute.

But that strategy appears to be doomed as the Verona-based team closes in on Ruben Vinagre of Sporting Lisbon instead.

Rangers may now be inclined to increase their interest in a number of other left-back targets,

such as FC Twente’s Gijs Smal, although Ridvan Yilmaz may still decide to leave Ibrox (Daily Record).

In July, Smal will also be a free agent like Barisic.

Last season, he also led the Eredivisie in assists.

Smal probably believed he would be able to go in the summer.

However, Leon ten Voorde, a reporter for FC Twente,

tells De Ballen Verstand that there was essentially no interest in him.

Given that he is a top player in the Eredivisie,

that is startling on the one hand. Last year,

he contributed ten assists.

Then, a one-year contract at FC Twente ought to be enough to (get you a move).

However, that didn’t turn out in the end.

Naturally, the fact that he had been hurt in August also had an impact.

I believe that Smal is now beginning to consider “which clubs, if any, will come?”

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