'Strange' - Ex-PL defender blasts Rangers as he makes commercial accusation

Former Barcelona and Tottenham defender Gheorghe Popescu has slammed Rangers for what he perceives to be a “commerical matter” regarding Ianis Hagi.

Hagi has been frozen out at Ibrox with Philippe Clement reinforcing that he will not play for the club again [MailOnline, 31 August], having failed to find a new club in the transfer window.

The Romania international was linked back to his homeland but stays on 99 appearances at the Gers, with whom one more outing would reportedly trigger an extra £6,000 per week via a contract clause [Daily Record, 13 August].

This has alerted Popescu, brother-in-law of Hagi’s famous father Gheorghe, who said via Rangers Review [5 September]: “I hope that things will improve at some point, that Ianis will play again for Rangers regardless.

“He has shown there both at domestic and European levels that he can be of great value to them, so the situation with the manager of the club and Ianis is a strange one.

“But I believe his situation at Rangers is not a sporting matter… it’s a commercial one.”

Ianis Hagi and Rangers stand-off drags on

The situation involving Rangers and Hagi is a really disappointing one from different angles.

The Light Blues are not prepared to be sucked into a lucrative new commitment for Hagi, who Clement claimed would not be “the future number 10” with no further developments late on in the window.

A clause inserted by an old regime at the club, they are not willing to risk fulfilling it whilst Hagi himself is a talented 25-year-old attacking midfielder wasting away in the B team in Glasgow – performing excellently in it, to boot.

Fans either wanted to see Hagi reintegrated back into the side after his underwhelming loan with Spanish side Alaves last year, or sold so he can resume his career whilst the club recoup a fee.

However, with a switch back to Romania not materialising, the stand-off continues and shows no real sign of letting up anytime soon.

In other Rangers news, Danilo is spotted at Glasgow Airport after his omission from the Europa League group stage squad.

For more Rangers news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.

The post 'Strange' - Ex-PL defender blasts Rangers as he makes commercial accusation appeared first on Ibrox News.