Rangers reportedly agreed to sign Motherwell’s Jake Hastie but now he could be on his way to MLS outfit Atlanta United.
The will-he-won’t-he saga involving Jake Hastie and Rangers appears to have come to a distinctly un-Hollywood ending.
According to the Glasgow Evening Times, Rangers have backed out of a deal to sign the rising Motherwell star, despite having agreed to snap him up on a pre-contract agreement at the end of the season.
Hastie, an exciting winger with a hammer of a left foot, looked certain to be Ibrox-bound. But Steven Gerrard’s side have surprisingly walked away having grown frustrated with the slow pace of negotiations.
This looks like a missed opportunity for Hastie, who was playing lower league football with Alloa Athletic just a few months ago. But patience is a virtue.
And a player who was likely to be only a squad man in a Rangers team chock-full of options out wide could soon be on his way to America to replace a £20 million star instead.
According to the Evening Times, Atlanta United are keen to lure the 20-year-old to the MLS on a free transfer. And should he swap Fir Park for Georgia, USA, he would be tasked with replacing Miguel Almiron.
The 2018 MLS Cup winner was arguably the best player in America last year and his £20 million move to Newcastle United (Telegraph) has left Atlanta – now managed by Frank de Boer – without his pace, creativity and ability to produce something out of nothing.
But Hastie, in just a few weeks in Motherwell’s first-team, has shown that he has those attributes in spades.
There are plenty of cynics who still doubt the relevance of MLS football but the success of Almiron, Sebastian Giovinco, Jack Harrison and co shows that it is no longer a ‘retirement league’ but a place where talented, attacking talents can thrive.
With this in mind, Hastie might be better off starring at Atlanta than sitting on Rangers’ bench.
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