There was a time when Dominic Solanke looked destined to join Rangers.
Steven Gerrard had just taken charge at Ibrox in 2018 and the then Liverpool striker had been earmarked as a potential loan signing by the likes of the Sun.
There were reams of copy written about potential Rangers interest in Solanke and whilst Gerrard dismissed the links as ‘speculation’, they persisted up until the striker left Anfield six months later.
In the January of 2019, Dominic Solanke would move to Bournemouth in a deal said to be worth £19m.
It was a deal which put those Rangers transfer links into perspective.
Five years on the striker has now joined Tottenham Hotspur in a mouthwatering £65m deal and it’s a Rangers player trading reminder of the value in English trained players.
England remains source of big money
Whilst it remains unclear if Rangers were ever serious about signing Dominic Solanke, the name is synonymous with the club’s ambition in the Premier League market.
Under Gerrard, Rangers did manage to bring Ovie Ejaria and Ryan Kent on loan from Liverpool in his first season. The latter eventually joined permanently.
Sheyi Ojo is another who came in on a temporary deal from Anfield in 2019.
Only last week was ex-Ibrox assistant Gary McAllister claiming that Rangers tried to sign Curtis Jones on loan from Liverpool.
Over the years Rangers have exploited loopholes to bring the likes of Calvin Bassey (Leicester City) and Joe Aribo (Charlton Athletic) to the club at the end of their contracts.
That they represent two of the club’s biggest sales in the modern era speaks volumes about the values attached to players south of the border.
The signatures of England youth internationals like Zak Lovelace or Archie Stevens are made in the hope they can come through at Rangers before banking big profits.
Dominic Solanke isn’t the only England international striker once linked with a move to Rangers either.
Ivan Toney – himself the subject of eye-watering transfer reports this summer – claims that he came close to signing for Rangers in 2020.
This is clearly a lucrative market that Rangers have got to shop clever in when it comes the club’s player trading ambitions.
Rangers change English loan tact
Rangers continue to keep a close eye on the English loan market but it’s about striking deals which have our long-term ambitions in mind.
Whilst the likes of Abdallah Sima of Brighton isn’t English trained, Rangers know that there’s high potential resale value in the former loanee if they can complete a permanent deal.
This campaign the sounds have been a lot quieter but there has been an interesting link to Leo Castledine of Chelsea.
The teenage midfielder is expected to go far in the game with the sticking point over a deal said to be Rangers’ insistence on an option-to-buy.
Similarly to Johnly Yfeko at Exeter City, this is the only way the renting club can guarantee themselves an opportunity to protect their long-term interests.
Whilst Dominic Solanke was probably always a tad ambitious for Rangers, his career progression is evidence of the startling value in English players.
Rangers might be moving to a cleverer player trading and scouting model as a general, but they’d be silly to ignore opportunities which arise south of Berwick.
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