Latvian striker Vladislavs Gutkovskis wanted to move to Rangers in 2016 – now he’s playing in a town of just 750 people.
Clearly, Pedro Caixinha has no choice but to make a new goalscorer Rangers’ top priority in the summer. Second placed Aberdeen may be 13 points ahead of the Ibrox giants but they’ve also outscored them by 18 this season.
Though don’t expect Vladislavs Gutkovskis to be on their radar this time around. According to the Daily Record, the Latvian striker had a trial at both Everton and Rangers in December 2015, ahead of a possible move in the following January transfer window, his remarkable tally of 28 goals in 34 games for local outfit Skonto Riga suggesting he was more than worth an opportunity.
And, after impressing in his short-term spell at Murray Park, scoring a hat-trick in one run-out, Gutkovskis admitted that he would happily stay at Rangers if given the chance.
“I was in Glasgow and I really liked it there,” he told the Daily Record, before admitting that he was refusing to commit to Czech giants Sparta Prague until Rangers made their decision.
A little over a year on, however, Gutkovskis is not leading any attacks in either Glasgow or Prague, two of Europe’s most bustling cities. Instead, he’s plying his trade with Bruk-Bet Termalica Nieciecza (us neither) in the Polish top flight.
And there’s a reason why you’ve probably never heard of The Elephants. With a population of just 750 people, Bruk-Bet Termalica Nieciecza are the smallest team ever to reach the top flight of a European league.
So at least Gutkovskis is making history. Although his tally of five goals in 19 Ekstraklasa fixtures suggests he’s hardly painting the town (or should that be hamlet?) red.
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