Motherwell chief defends stance on Rangers target Jake Hastie

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Rangers are looking to lure winger Jake Hastie to Ibrox.

Motherwell chief executive Alan Burrows has told The Scottish Sun that he thinks he’s actually protecting the club with his stance on Jake Hastie’s contract.

Hastie, 20, has come up through the Motherwell ranks, and whilst he spent the first half of the season out on loan at Alloa Athletic, he has returned to Fir Park with a bang.

The speedy winger has hit seven goals in 13 games since returning to Motherwell, becoming one of their young stars alongside David Turnbull and Allan Campbell.

However, Motherwell have a problem. Hastie is out of contract this summer, and with no sign of him signing a new deal, the youngster may well be leaving Fir Park.

The Glasgow Evening Times report that Rangers have now resurrected a move for Hastie, having initially given up hope of luring him to Ibrox.

Hastie may well be heading to Ibrox this summer, in a deal which would bring Motherwell around £400,000 in compensation as they can’t dictate his asking price.

That hasn’t gone down particularly well with Motherwell fans, but chief executive Burrows has defended his stance, suggesting that short-term deals mean that youngsters like Hastie can’t leave for nothing, ensuring compensation for the club.

Burrows brought up the likes of Jamie Murphy and Shaun Hutchinson as cases of long-term deals resulting in little cash being brought in, and whilst he’s hopeful of keeping Hastie, he’s aware that other options are on the table – such as Rangers.

“I’ve made sure that even if we do lose players like Jake, we won’t lose them for nothing,” said Burrows. “How you do that is by making certain their contracts expire on or before the season of their 22nd birthday. If you do that then you will receive compensation. In the past, with Jamie Murphy, Mark Reynolds and Shaun Hutchinson, Motherwell put those players on long-term deals with a view to selling them. It transpired they stayed for three or four seasons and when we did trade them on, we got very little for them. We don’t offer four-year contracts any more, and for that very reason.”

“Fans want to know why Jake Hastie and the other promising youngsters aren’t tied down until 2024, but we’re just protecting Motherwell. If Jake decides to go, we won’t be left empty-handed after his ten years here. We’re still optimistic he’ll stay, but we’re aware he has other options,” he added.