Despite having a breakthrough season at Motherwell, Derek Ferguson doesn’t think Theo Bair has done enough to warrant a move to the Rangers just yet.
On June 23, The Athletic revealed that clubs in Germany, as well as the Light Blues and Old Firm rivals Celtic, were interested in the Canadian international.
Ferguson acknowledges that he thought the forward looked “absolutely sensational” the previous season, but he isn’t certain the Gers should trade for the 23-year-old this summer because he attributes much of the forward’s improvement to Stuart Kettlewell.
He revealed exclusively to Ibrox News, “I don’t know because he struggled at St. Johnstone for a while.” He appeared uneasy and arrived at Motherwell.
I believe Stuart Kettlewell played a significant role in this, as he has done an excellent job managing him.
“Last season, I saw him three or four times. He exudes a positive physicality. You can see there is a player there because I saw him play against Dundee and he was outstanding for the closing thirty minutes of the match.
But, and this is a huge but, why hasn’t a bigger club picked up a guy in his 24s? Why did he find it difficult at St Johnstone? For me, there’s always a tiny question mark there.
“The components are evident, he possesses the necessary physical attributes, and he is capable of finishing.” However, what you’ll hear me say is this: can you handle the full situation, like some of the other people who have played for Celtic or Rangers have done? That then becomes the key query.
“Yes, he’s had a strong season for Motherwell, but will that be enough to draw the attention of the Rangers?” I’m not entirely certain.
At Fir Park, Stuart Kettlewell is credited with increasing Rangers’ aim.
The inefficient Sam Lammers and the inconsistent Cyriel Dessers are expected to leave the team, so while Philippe Clement may have signed Hamza Igamane to expand his striking options, another senior option will undoubtedly be needed given their projected departures (Rangers Review, 29 May; Rangers Review, 3 July).
Before exploding with 15 league goals last season, Bair had never scored more than four goals in a single season in his entire career.
That left him trailing just James Tavernier, Dessers, Matt O’Riley of Celtic, and two more Ibrox-related goal scorers, Aberdeen’s Bojan Miovski and Hearts captain Lawrence Shankland [Scottish Daily Mail, 1 July].
If a transfer could be worked out, one of the last two names would appear to be stronger bets for success, but if Bair can maintain his Motherwell form, he would not be the first player to emerge as a late bloomer.
Get related news on
sportchannel.co.uk
Leave a Reply