Steven Naismith promises Nathan Patterson the Rangers defender will be welcomed with open arms with a transfer to Everton, but he will have no excuses if he fails to perform.
The Toffees and Gers are in talks over Patterson moving to Goodison Park in the January sales. Rafa Benitez wants to further strengthen his backline this month, following the £17m arrival of Vitaliy Mykolenko from Dynamo Kyiv.
Reports by the Glasgow Times note Patterson is on the cusp of leaving Ibrox for Merseyside after recent fresh negotiations. Everton and Rangers have agreed to an initial £12m for the Scotland international, along with a potential £4m through add-ons.
Rangers will also obtain a sell-on clause should Patterson later leave Everton, who saw two bids rejected last summer. He remained a prime target for the Premier League outfit under Benitez’s instructions, and may make his debut in the FA Cup against Hull City on Saturday.
Naismith gives honest verdict on Everton transfer for Rangers’ Patterson
Patterson completing his transfer to Everton will see the Glasgow-native leave his boyhood side Rangers after 27 first-team appearances. He has, however, only made 11 this term and started just six in all competitions. The 20-year-old has also only amassed 588-minutes.
Former Rangers and Everton striker Naismith feels everything will be in place for Patterson to succeed at Goodison, though. But that means there are no excuses for underdelivering.
“Everton is a proper football club, they do everything right,” Naismith told The Scottish Sun. “They have world-class facilities and all the staff required in all the departments. There are no excuses for any player going there.
“You’ll never hear anyone complain about things behind the scenes. Settling into the area is made easy, and that’s a comforting factor. So, all Nathan will need to concentrate on is his football.
“Everything else is perfect for him. The facilities are perfect and the people are perfect too. I found it to be the perfect fit and I think he will too.
“I still speak to a lot of the backroom staff, and they live and breathe the football club. They’ll make him feel extremely welcome when he arrives, I can promise Nathan that.”
Patterson has produced one assist and no goals over the right-back’s 11 outings so far this season. He did, however, score and assist as Scotland beat Moldova in November to seal a World Cup play-off place. The tie was only his third start in six caps for the Tartan Army.
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