Scottish Premiership challengers Rangers reportedly wanted Patrick Bauer before he joined Championship high-flyers Preston North End instead.
Perhaps Alex Neil summed it up best when describing the impact Patrick Bauer has made at Preston North End this season. In the manager’s own words; ‘He has been even better than I expected’.
To say the German giant has been a revelation would be an understatement. He is one of the main reasons why Preston have been transformed from perennial dark horses to genuine front-runners of late, the Lilywhites sitting second in the Championship after 16 games.
Bauer hasn’t missed a single minute of football so far this season. And, just to make this inspired piece of business look even more impressive, the 27-year-old was snapped up on a free when his contract at Charlton Athletic expired.
So the thought of Bauer wearing the famous blue shirt of Rangers instead doesn’t bare thinking about for the Deepdale fanbase dreaming of a long-awaited return to the big time.
The Mail claimed that Steven Gerrard’s side were planning to offer him a deal in the wake of his last-gasp winning goal for Charlton in the League One play-off final against Sunderland in May.
Instead, The Gers had to pay £3 million more to bring Filip Helander to Ibrox from Bologna. Now this is not to say that Rangers are worse off with the Swedish international at the heart of their defence.
Helander has formed an excellent partnership with Connor Goldson and the Glasgow giants have not conceded in any of their last four games now in all competitions. Helander has been particularly impressive on the continent too with Rangers on the verge of qualifying for the knockout stages of the Europa League and Gerrard himself thinks the Scandinavian will prove to be a bargain (Herald).
But, in Bauer, Rangers might have missed out to Preston for one of the most inspired signings made by any club on British shores over the last 12 months.
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