'I get the feeling': Kris Boyd fears Rangers will miss out on 'exceptional' player as £2.5m bid arrives
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Rangers’ Premiership form may have left a lot to be desired of late but, as far as Kris Boyd can tell, there is another team in Scotland’s top-flight in danger of entering ‘free-fall’ territory.
Motherwell may have secured a point against Rangers back in December – it would have been all three if not for Hamza Igamane’s off-the-bench brace at Fir Park – but performances of a similar standard have been few and far between from mid-November to late-January.
Stuart Kettlewell’s team are on a run of six defeats in 12 Premiership matches. Since losing captain and teenage talisman Lennon Miller to injury, Motherwell have won one in four.
And, while they are still fifth in the table, Saturday’s 3-1 loss at Hibernian leaves Kris Boyd feeling that an alarming slide from the brink of the European places to the dreaded relegation zone may be forthcoming.
In that sense, can Motherwell really afford to let the much sought-after Miller go this month? Or would Kettlewell be better served cashing in on his prized asset now in a desperate attempt to revitalise an ailing squad badly in need of reinforcements.
It is no secret that Rangers are big admirers of Lennon Miller. Technical director Nils Koppen has watched Miller in action this season – Ibrox will always be home to the best young Scottish talent – while the Daily Mail claims than an approach was ‘expected’ from the blue side of Glasgow this month.
An ankle fracture he suffered around the turn of the year may have convinced Rangers to put a move on the backburner for now.
Kris Boyd reacts as Udinese bid for Rangers target Lennon Miller
It has not stopped Udinese from knocking on the Motherwell door, however. Perhaps inspired by the success of Scott McTominay, Billy Gilmour, Josh Doig, Lewis Ferguson and Aaron Hickey on Italian soil, Udinese have submitted a £2.5 million bid for ‘Well’s 18-year-old captain.
A bid that has since been rejected.
“It’s a difficult one for Motherwell because I think they are are in a false position in terms of the table,” Boyd muses after reports of that Serie A offer filtered through. “If that changes, all of a sudden everything else around the football club changes.
“So, if you are getting a bid for Lennon Miller for around that type of money [£2.5 million], then obviously it has to be considered. The only thing I will say is that we don’t know how this [bid] is structured. If it’s £2.5 million up front then all day long [they should sell].
“We know how some of these deals are structured nowadays. It may be something like £200, £300, £400,000 up front, and then the rest as add-ons if he wins the Ballon D’Or!
“It might be a £2.5 million transfer but how is it actually broke down?”
Brian Caldwell, Motherwell’s chief executive, left Udinese in no doubt as to their stance.
Miller, he says, is an ‘exceptional talent. Statistically, I believe, in the top seven players in the world for his age for midfield players’. Motherwell will only cash in, Caldwell adds, when they are good and ready.
As for Rangers’ hopes, Boyd is not holding his breath.
The youngest captain in Motherwell’s history is unlikely to take the same route as Connor Barron and potentially Lyall Cameron – Rangers are reportedly leading the race for the Dundee starlet – with a future akin to Bologna’s former Aberdeen dynamo Ferguson more realistic.
Boyd expects Lennon Miller to move to Italy or Germany
“Reading between the lines, it’s the first bid that Motherwell have had so I would imagine they think there is more to come. Udinese might come back with another one,” adds Boyd. “But there is one thing about Lennon Miller, I think he’s pretty headstrong in terms of where he wants to get to in the game.
“It might be that he doesn’t look at either of the Old Firm [clubs] and think; ‘Right, I want to join them’. I kind of get the feeling that his head is more abroad.
“”Now, you’re looking at youngsters with a chance to be bought by Italian teams. There might be German teams as well. They are always on the lookout of young players who are doing well. There is value there [in Scotland].
“Not only that, when you look at Lennon Miller, you can tell he’s switched on, dedicated to his football, and he’s only going to get better.
“I look at Motherwell and I am starting to fear for them. Can they cope without him? [Kettlewell] might be thinking; ‘If I lose Lennon Miller, can I use that money to get a few players in?’
“That is what they need. They need to get some players in to freshen it up.”
Whether Rangers are crying out to the same degree is a matter of much debate. While Philippe Clement and the Gers fanbase appear keen on further additions – Rangers did land Rafael Fernandes on loan from Lille on Saturday – CEO Patrick Stewart is reluctant to pursue too much January business while a host of key players are making their returns from injury.
