‘Can decide games on his own’: Could reported Rangers target cost a bargain £3.5m?

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Former Ajax manager Aad de Mos believes £3.5 million may be enough to take Joey Veerman away from Heerenveen with Steven Gerrard’s Rangers keen on the Eredivisie star, speaking to Omrop Fryslan.

The future of this dynamic, box-to-box midfielder has certainly sparked plenty of debate in the Netherlands.

Is Veerman really ready to join a club the level of Rangers, Ajax, PSV or an Atalanta side that secured Champions League qualification via a third-place Serie A finish (Voetbal International)?

Former Ibrox hero Michael Mols has his doubts about the 22-year-old assist-machine.

And De Mos also fears a lack of consistency could hold Veerman back if he bids farewell to a club that gave us Hakim Ziyech, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and, to a lesser extent, Afonso Alves.

Can Joey Veerman thrive at Rangers?

“I think you shouldn’t go too high up the tree. I’m thinking of an amount between two and five million euros (would be enough to buy Veerman),” says De Mos, who coached PSV and Vitesse Arnhem as well as Ajax.

“If you get €4 million (£3.5 million) and increase that through bonuses, for example by getting to the Champions League or becoming an international, that is an excellent amount.”

With nine goals and 11 assists in all competitions in 2020/21, Veerman would bring plenty of class and creativity to Rangers’ already well-stocked midfield.

But can Heerenveen’s star man produce 8/10 performances on a weekly basis, instead of veeringly wildly from a 9 to a 4?

‘At Heerenveen he is undisputed’

“I have my doubts. At Heerenveen he is undisputed and he can afford not to perform for two consecutive matches,” De Mos adds.

“At Ajax, Feyenoord and PSV, certain requirements are set. I don’t know if he can handle what is asked at the top level.”

Erik Schouten, a former teammate of Veerman at Volendam, has no such concerns.

“He can decide games on his own and puts his teammates through on goal several times per match,” Schouten adds.

“I think he wouldn’t be out of place in the top four of the Netherlands.”