Giovanni Van Bronckhorst’s spell managing Glasgow Rangers evokes mixed feelings among the Ibrox faithful.
On one hand, he was the man who led the club to the Europa League final in 2022, losing to Eintracht Frankfurt on penalties in Seville before winning the Scottish Cup just days later.
Domestically, however, his team were often poor to watch, losing three times to Celtic, including 3-0 and 4–0 defeats at Parkhead.
His transfer record was a mixed bag too, featuring some decent signings combined with a few howlers.
Giovanni Van Bronckhorst’s transfer record at Rangers
In terms of arrivals, the Dutchman signed the likes of Ridvan Yilmaz, Ben Davies, Antonio Colak and Rabbi Matondo, players who either failed to live up to the transfer fee or are struggling with injuries constantly.
A loan move for Aaron Ramsey in January 2022 also didn’t work out as expected, especially as the Welshman missed the decisive penalty in the Europa League final defeat.
Player
Club signed from
John Souttar
Hearts
Ben Davies
Liverpool
Rabbi Matondo
FC Schalke
Ridvan Yilmaz
Besiktas
Malik Tillman
Bayern Munich (loan)
Antonio Colak
PAOK
Tom Lawrence
Derby
Amad Diallo
Man United (loan)
Aaron Ramsey
Juventus (loan)
James Sands
New York City (loan)
Matuesz Zukowski
Lech Poznan
Compare this to the players he sold, however, and it is like night and day. Indeed, the former Gers boss moved on Calvin Bassey for £23m and Joe Aribo for £10m in the summer of 2022, securing substantial profits on both.
Perhaps his finest sale – albeit not at the time – was that of Nathan Patterson. Touted as one of the highest-rated talents at the club, since leaving, his value has plummeted.
How much Rangers sold Nathan Patterson for
Dubbed by former Ibrox defender Alan Hutton as “very highly rated”, Patterson was meant to be the heir to James Tavernier’s throne at right back.
Despite his obvious talent, the youngster struggled to force his way into the starting XI, making just 27 appearances for the Light Blues during his spell in Glasgow.
Everton came calling in January 2022 and a fee of £16m was far too good for Van Bronckhorst to turn down.
A couple of years later, it may have turned out to be a wise move by the Ibrox side…
Nathan Patterson’s current market value at Everton
Since moving to the Premier League nearly three years ago, a series of injuries have restricted Patterson’s appearances for the Toffees to 48 appearances in all competitions.
The Scot has yet to play for the senior side this year, suffering from a thigh injury. He has made the matchday squad on just three occasions.
This lack of consistency has impacted not only his performances, but also his market value.
According to Football Transfers, Patterson is currently valued at €3.5m (£2.9m), which represents a massive £13m drop from the £16m that the Merseyside outfit paid to sign him.
Of course, injuries have not exactly helped his cause, but if he recovers and forces his way back into the starting XI, his value should increase.
There is no doubting his talent, but the main thing for Patterson now is to stay fit. It is clear that Rangers played a blinder on the defender considering his low value.
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