Glasgow Rangers were beaten by Premier League newcomers Cardiff City to the versatile Callum Paterson in 2017.
Rangers were looking for a right-back to provide competition for James Tavernier in the summer of 2017.
And, according to the Daily Record, Hearts’ Scotland international Callum Paterson was the man then-Gers boss Pedro Caixinha wanted to bring to Ibrox.
The highly-rated defender had established himself as one of the most promising young full-backs north of the border and the fact that Rangers were keen to sign him, despite the fact he was sidelined with a long-term ligament injury, spoke volumes.
But just a few weeks later, Rangers’ hopes were over. Neil Warnock’s Cardiff City paid a £400,000 development fee to bring Paterson to South Wales, and over a year on his rather unexpected transformation from a full-back to a centre-forward looks complete.
In fact, the 24-year-old has barely played on the right of defence since joining Cardiff. He scored ten goals largely from a central midfield position as the Bluebirds surprisingly sealed a return to the Premier League last season and has now carved out a surprising niche as a powerful and energetic forward.
Paterson has led the line effectively, scoring in successive games against Fulham and Liverpool.
Few would have expected that the man Rangers wanted as a back-up right-back would be a Premier League striker one year on. And it is interesting to wonder where he would be now, both in his career and in a positional sense, had he swapped Hearts for Ibrox instead.
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