Rangers reportedly wanted to bring Tom Eaves to the Scottish Premiership but he was forced to stay at Gillingham after Jermain Defoe arrived at Ibrox.
Three months ago this week, Sky Sports broke the news that Rangers were hoping to sign Tom Eaves from Gillingham.
And, at the time, that made perfect sense. The rangy centre-forward was in the form of his life and, with 13 goals to his name, was sitting top of the League One goalscoring charts.
Standing at 6ft 2ins, Eaves was the epitome of the old ‘good touch for a big man’ cliché, a skilful centre-forward with the presence and clinical touch to take the pressure off Rangers’ talisman Alfredo Morelos.
By the time the January window slammed shut, however, Eaves failed to secure the biggest move of his career. He stayed at Gillingham while Rangers instead signed the 36-year-old Jermain Defoe on an 18 month loan from Bournemouth.
But Eaves has hardly set about showing Rangers what they are missing. The former Bolton and Yeovil striker has found goals much harder to come by since he forced his way into the gossip columns in late 2018.
He has scored just four goals in his last 15 games with Gillingham slipping down the table. They are now just three points above the relegation zone.
It is too early to suggest Rangers dodged a bullet but it certainly seems like the proven, experienced Defoe was a far better option in hindsight.
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