'Really excited to be here': Rangers officially miss out as January target secures £2.5m England move
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Any hope Rangers may have had of bringing a former Premier League starlet back to Britain went up in smoke a while ago.
There is a reason why their one and only signing of the January window – Rafael Fernandes arrived at Ibrox from LOSC Lille on Saturday – joined on loan rather than for a fee.
Rangers, to put it simply, are a little strapped for cash at the moment.
Marko Soldo was even too expensive for Rangers at £2.5 million, as we exclusively reported last week, with low-cost additions such as Dundee’s Lyall Cameron and CSKA Moscow’s Serbia international Sasa Zdjelar feeling much more attainable.
Both Cameron and Zdjelar will be free-agents in the summer.
As such, reports that Rangers were interested in Standard Liege midfielder Isaac Price always felt a little pie in the proverbial sky. The former Everton youngster signed a four-year deal with the Belgian outfit back in 2023, meaning he still had another two-and-a-half years remaining when the transfer window opened on January 1st.
Northern Ireland ace Isaac Price joins West Brom after Rangers links
A return to England felt more likely from the get-go; West Brom and Preston North End going head to head and the former eventually crossing the line first.
According to reports from Belgium, Price joins Tony Mowbray’s promotion chasing West Bromwich Albion outfit until 2029. The Northern Ireland international also sets The Baggies back £2.5 million.
If Rangers could not afford to sign NK Osijek dynamo Soldo for that fee, then Isaac Price arriving at Ibrox was never realistically on the cards.
"There was a little bit of interest in the summer and there was talk of the move happening then, but it didn't. This time round, I found out in the early part of last week. And, as soon as I heard of the interest, I wanted to get it done,” Price explains after putting pen to paper with West Brom.
“I was over the moon and I'm really excited to be here.”
This is not the first time Rangers have seemingly missed out.
Rangers were linked with Isaac Price before he departed Everton to the tune of around £400,000 back in 2023, growing frustrated with his lack of first-team opportunities at Goodison Park.
Price then joined George Best in Northern Irish folklore when he netted a stunning hat-trick against Bulgaria in a UEFA Nations League hammering last year.
Rangers miss out on ‘box-to-box midfielder’ with hat-trick on his CV
Given that Rangers’ midfield options are not exactly renowned for their goalscoring – Mohamed Diomande has four this term but none apiece for Connor Barron or Nico Raskin – Price’s energy and ball-crashing talents could have added a little more horsepower to Philippe Clement’s engine room.
"The move had been on my mind for the last few months,” Price adds upon his unveiling at the Hawthorns, before spelling out the attributes he’d have brought to Rangers.
“Sometimes as a player you're almost playing to get the move you want and it's worked out for me this time. It's a good opportunity for me to show the manager what I can do.
"He'll get his first impression of me from training. I'm looking forward to meeting him and all the players and getting down to work.
"I'd say I was a box-to-box midfielder. I like to get involved in the attacking play, but scoring more goals is an area I'd like to improve. I like defending as well. I love getting back and making tackles. I'd say my strengths are passing and long-range passing in particular, and I'd also like to think I'm a good runner.”
