If Rangers had turned to an Ibrox legend instead of taking the plunge on Pedro Caixinha in 2016, maybe Jon McLaughlin would have been standing between the sticks at Ibrox for a number of years already.
After all, Alex McLeish is a huge fan of a 32-year-old goalkeeper who, with after his Sunderland contract ran down, moved north of the border in a deal that came right out of the blue.
Rangers were first linked with McLaughlin on Tuesday morning. By 4pm of the very same day, the Scotland international was posing for photos in Glasgow.
And while the former Hearts stopper is expected to replace Wes Foderingham for the time being, he is more than capable of leaving Allan McGregor sweating over his starting spot.
Make no mistake, this is certainly a deal that will get the backing of a man who led the Gers to Scottish Premiership glory in 2003 and 2005.
“Jon McLaughlin is on a mission to get Sunderland back into the Championship. They’ve had a couple of bad years but John’s form has been exceptional,” McLeish told the Shields Gazette during his short-lived and ill-fated second spell as Scotland boss in early 2019.
Unfortunately for the Wearside faithful, McLaughlin’s Sunderland career ended in disappointment and a sense of what might’ve been.
The 2019/20 League One season was curtailed in May with one of English football’s sleeping giants missing out on a place in the play-offs as a result – despite finishing just three points adrift of the automatic promotion positions.
And a goalkeeper of McLaughlin’s quality was never likely to stick around for a third season amid the thistles and thorns of the third tier.
At his age, he might never get a better chance to join a club of Rangers’ sizse and stature.
From keeping Rochdale, Gillingham and Bristol Rovers at bay, McLaughlin could be battling for silverware and playing European football sooner rather than later.
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