Glasgow Rangers reportedly sold Josh Windass for £2.5 million, and that deal could undoubtedly come back to haunt the Ibrox side.
While Rangers’ start to the new season suggests that it is difficult to find a reason to criticise the club’s business in the transfer market, it certainly appears that the Gers decided to roll the dice on England’s transfer deadline day.
In the days leading up to the deadline south of the border, it started to appear to be almost inevitable that Josh Windass would end the week no longer a Rangers player with interest in him developing.
Ultimately, it was Wigan Athletic who bagged the 24-year-old’s signature, with STV reporting ahead of the first-leg of the Gers’ Europa League tie with Maribor that the Championship side had agreed to pay an initial £2.5 million for Windass, while there are also additional clauses in the deal which could see the overall cost rise further.
Given that Windass arrived at Ibrox following the end of his Accrington Stanley contract, it could definitely be argued that bagging a seven-figure fee for the attacking midfielder has been a very good piece of business – especially when you consider that Windass always seemed to be unable to win his critics over during his time in the Scottish Premiership.
On the other hand however, it appears that the fee that Rangers have sold Windass for could come back to haunt the Gers in the coming years.
The Englishman scored 18 goals in all competitions last season. That is a remarkable return for a player who some of the fans have never quite managed to take to during his time with the Gers.
There were parts of his game and performances that rightfully received criticism, but it could almost be deemed a positive that the club had a player in their ranks who could score almost 20 goals from midfield and still clearly have the potential to often significantly better.
His contract with Rangers was set to run until 2021 – as reported by Sky Sports – so there was no pressure on Rangers to sanction a sale from that perspective.
Windass may have pushed for a move perhaps – which may not be out of the question given that Gerrard’s team selections hinted that he may not be a first-choice this season – but Rangers should have arguably looked for significantly more than £2.5 million before letting him go.
His inconsistency means that Rangers’ decision could prove to be the right one. But perhaps it would not be the greatest surprise if Windass goes on to embarrass the Gers in the coming years for agreeing to sell for that figure.
Should Rangers have held out for more before selling Windass?
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