Chelsea midfielder Billy Gilmour has joined Norwich City on a season-long loan, with the newly promoted side pipping Rangers and co to his signature.
According to the Daily Record, Light Blues boss Steven Gerrard was interested in taking the 20-year-old on a one-year deal if Chelsea agreed to a temporary exit.
Although Rangers could have offered Gilmour the chance to play in the Champions League next season, with only two qualifying rounds between them and a place in the group stages of Europe’s elite competition.
However, Chelsea preferred to keep him in the Premier League, and the Scottish Premiership giants would have to look elsewhere for midfield reinforcements.
Celtic legend Chris Sutton appears to have mocked Rangers for missing out on their academy graduate, reacting thus on Twitter:
Smart move https://t.co/tPhxFIoAop
— Chris Sutton (@chris_sutton73) July 2, 2021
Sportslens View
While Rangers have missed out on having Gilmour back at Ibrox for the season, they have received a £1 million windfall from the deal that took him to Chelsea back in the summer of 2017.
The clause was activated after he made his Premier League debut under manager Frank Lampard in August 2019, and the cash will come in handy as the Light Blues look to further strengthen their team in the coming weeks.
Gerrard wants to mount a credible title defence next term and challenge for both the Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup, and will need to improve his squad depth ahead of the tasks ahead.
Rangers would have been glad to have recruited the services of a talented midfielder like Gilmour, though, and will now hope to produce similar players going forward.
Read: 2021 Premier League transfers
