'He'd certainly make Rangers better': Neil Lennon reacts to claims £4m star could be heading to Ibrox
11/23/2024 06:00 AM
Given his Celtic connections, Neil Lennon will not exactly be championing Rangers’ potential pursuit of a player he rates extremely highly.
Because, while his time in Romanian football may have been brief, the Hoops icon knows enough about life in Liga I to realise that a midfielder linked with a move to Ibrox this week is quite the talent.
Darius Olaru was mentioned as a potential Rangers target a week ago.
And, while Rangers News have heard from Romanian sources that there is nothing significant to update with regards Darius Olaru's situation as things stand, that has not stopped the speculation from swirling back in the FCSB talisman’s Eastern European homeland.
Lennon, out of work again following a winless six-game spell in charge of Rapid Bucharest, was asked about the prospect of Olaru swapping FCSB for Rangers when contacted by Romanian publication Sport pe Surse.
And, while he cannot speak highly enough of a midfielder with ten goals from just 22 appearances this term, a man beholden to Celtic is obviously not keen on the idea of their Old Firm rivals securing Olaru’s signature.
- READ MORE:Rangers Transfer History 2016-Present
Neil Lennon says signing Darius Olaru would improve Rangers
“Darius Olaru, he is a very good player,” Lennon says. “He would certainly make Rangers better, but Celtic are very strong and playing great at the moment.”
This is not the first time Rangers have been discussed as a prospective destination for arguably the greatest talent in the Romanian league.
Mihai Stoica, a general manager at the club formerly known as Steaua Bucharest, confirmed last year that Darius Olaru has a £4 million release clause in his contract. Whether Rangers could afford to pay such a fee, after a summer of substantial investment, remains to be seen.
“I think that interest will probably cool pretty quickly in terms of the prices. You're talking four or five million pounds,” former Rangers defender Craig Moore says on the Go Radio Football Show, not exactly optimistic about his old employers’ chances.
"I think [Olaru’s price-tag] puts Rangers out in regard to the investment that they don't have.
"Attacking midfielder, 26 years of age, Romanian international. So a handy enough player and at a good age. [But] in terms of Rangers' financial situation, [that release clause] probably doesn't mean that it becomes a likely opportunity."
Rangers boss Philippe Clement will have money to spend in January
Included in the Romanian league’s Team of the Season in each of the last three years, it is surprising really that Olaru is still awaiting a move to a bigger competition with his 27th birthday only a few months away.
A fine technician capable of both scoring and creating with both feet, Olaru contributed a combined 21 goals and assists across 2023/24 as he inspired FCSB to their first domestic title in nearly a decade.
Olaru was even likened to Manchester City superstar Kevin de Bruyne by the aforementioned Stoica.
Meanwhile John Gilligan, while acting as interim chairman, told Sky Sports back in September that there will be money to spend in January with Rangers keen to keep backing Philippe Clement and Nils Koppen in the market.
“We’re trying to bring stability to the player trading model to try to improve it, and I think the manager we’ve got is the man to do that,” Gilligan said.
“There will be [funds for the winter window]. I think with any manager at any football club, if you can sell and make a profit then it helps with the buying. It doesn’t depend on it but it certainly adds to it and helps with the whole opportunity of improving.
“We keep talking about the player trading model because ideally we want to be able to bring in players and get them to play properly for the team and do well, but hopefully we sell them on and reinvest.
“We’ll have accounts coming out quite soon and at the AGM, it will become apparent that the financial sustainability is solid.”
