Christophe Berra has made a real impact at Hearts, helping them crush Celtic 4-0 – just imagine how good he would have been at Rangers.
A return to former club Hearts was just too good to turn down for Christophe Berra. When it became clear that the Scotland international was leaving Ipswich Town this summer, there was no shortage of interest with Rangers keen to lure the experienced centre-back to Ibrox, according to the Evening News.
Berra, however, was wooed instead by the lure of Tynecastle – moving back to the club where he started his career 15 years previously.
After missing out on Berra, Rangers turned their attention to Portugal and brought in Iberian duo Fabio Cardoso and Bruno Alves. But while they have struggled to get used to Scottish football, the 32-year-old has adapted to life back at Hearts like a duck to water.
”(Berra’s) been a brilliant signing, on and off the field. He’s got a grip of the dressing-room, everybody is focused and the discipline is good,” Hearts boss Craig Levein told the Evening News after skipper Berra starred in Sunday’s stunning 4-0 thrashing of Celtic.
“He is a great example to the younger players. He doesn’t take any nonsense either on or off the field. That has helped enormously.”
As it stands, Hearts have the league’s second best defensive record, conceding 19 goals in 19 games. It’s a record Rangers, who were stunned 3-1 at home by St Johnstone on Saturday, could only dream of right now.
And while you can’t blame them for failing to lure Berra to Ibrox due to his adoration for their Edinburgh rivals, this seems like a real missed opportunity with Graeme Murty’s defence looking like an Achilles heel once again.
After all, it is difficult to imagine Rangers keeping a clean sheet against Celtic – let alone scoring four.
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