Napoli's £7.5m transfer is a big boost for Rangers, 'sensational' star is needed at Ibrox
01/04/2025 12:00 PM
Shortly after Philippe Clement opened up a window of opportunity to Rangers’ misfit-turned-talisman, the door to a potential January departure appears to have closed.
And that, considering the role he played as Rangers trounced Old Firm rivals Celtic 3-0 at Ibrox, is pretty good news for those on the blue side of the Glasgow divide.
It is difficult to sum up quite how successful Ianis Hagi’s return to the Rangers XI has been. From out of sight and very much out of mind only a few months ago to one of the first names on Clement’s team sheet in the blinking of an eye.
What might have been, had Hagi not been sidelined until October due to a contract wrangle which, at the time, looked destined to bring his Scottish football career to an end.
Well, better late than never, at least. Despite only starting six Premiership matches this season, Hagi is now second behind James Tavernier in Rangers’ assist charts.
The Gers have won in five of those six matches too, Hagi setting Clement on his way to a first Old Firm victory at the seventh attempt as he opened the scoring in, coincidentally, the seventh minute on a glorious Thursday afternoon at Ibrox.
Ianis Hagi looks likely to stay at Rangers as Fiorentina rumours go quiet
To quote former Romania international Ilie Dumitrescu, Ianis Hagi’s performance was nothing short of ‘sensational’. To think, it is only a few months since Rangers were scouring the market trying to find a buyer for a £3 million man stripped of his shirt number and demoted to the reserves.
Fiorentina were one of those linked at the time. And, as recently as December, Hagi did not rule out a return to the Serie A challengers, having spent two years in Florence between 2016 and 2018.
Now, for as long as Hagi’s contract situation remains as it is today – his deal is due to expire in the summer after next – questions over his future will continue to swirl.
But with Fiorentina closing in on the signing of Michael Folorunsho from Napoli, it appears increasingly unlikely that the Stadio Artemio Franchi option will remain on the table for a player who managed only two Serie A appearances in his largely forgettable spell with La Viola.
According to Tuttomercatoweb, Fiorentina are signing Folorunsho on loan with an obligation-to-buy clause set at around £7.5 million.
The Rome-born Italy international has barely featured under Antonio Conte in Naples. But, after a terrific loan spell at Hellas Verona in which he put on his very own Goal of the Season competition, Folorunsho should bring fresh drive to a Fiorentina outfit hanging on the coattails of the Champions League spots.
Now, this is not to say Fiorentina have officially drawn a line through Hagi’s name for good. But considering that Folorunsho tends to play in a similar attacking midfield role – and occasionally wide on the left – it seems that the two-time Europa Conference League finalists have both settled on their priority target, and have made big strides towards securing him.
Ianis Hagi wants Rangers to kick on from Old Firm victory
As far as Hagi is concerned though, after scoring his first Rangers goal in 16 months and in front of his legendary father no less, all he is focusing on is ensuring the team sitting a distant second in the Premiership table can build on arguably the finest moment of the Clement era.
"It feels good," Hagi told reporters after Robin Propper and Danilo capped a stunning Rangers win with two second-half strikes. "It feels good because you obviously want to win derbies. Is it a step forward for us? Indeed.
"But we know it's [only] three points. They're important but we go again in three days so we got to switch on quickly, recover and get ready for the next game.
"It definitely helps (getting the early goal). Obviously with the fans playing home that definitely helps. I think it's an all-round good game for us for 90 minutes. You can start well and finish really bad. I think we were consistent and I think that's the perfect word for us moving forward.
"We have to be consistent for 90 minutes and, when do that, then we are a good football team."
