Tugay Kerimoglu was an enigmatic figure at Rangers. The midfielder came to Glasgow with a hefty reputation, playing over 300 times for Galatasaray.
Coincidentally, Ianis Hagi’s father, Gheorghe, labelled him one of the finest ball-playing midfielders in Europe in 2000.
Furthermore, Sir Alex Ferguson agreed with claims in 2006 that if he were ten years younger, he’d be a perfect fit at Old Trafford. By then, the Turk was playing his football for Blackburn.
Unfortunately for Rangers, things didn’t work out too well for a man who had thrived in the Turkish leagues – scoring 39 goals and assisting 59, via Transfermarkt.
Tugay possessed the ability to play in attacking midfield but as the years went on, he was converted into a central midfielder and then a holding player. Gary Stevens hailed his ability to sweep up the defence when he was in Glasgow.
Yet, he ultimately found football tough to come by and was in and out of Dick Advocaat’s side. He made just 26 starts for the Light Blues, appearing 16 times off the bench and scoring four goals.
For someone who had such lofty appraisals and went onto have a successful career in the Premier League, he failed to cut the mustard in Scotland.
But what does this have to do with the current Rangers side? Well, last week Steven Gerrard’s men were linked with a switch for Caleb Ekuban.
Different in their style, there are still some similarities. Ekuban has also played as an attacking midfielder, although he’s also featured as a centre forward and on the flanks. Most notably, however, is the fact he plays in Turkey.
Rangers haven’t delved into that region very often but Tugay is the main man who springs to mind when assessing their dealings with the country straddling the west of Asia.
Funnily enough, parallels can be drawn with their success in the game too. As it happens, Ekuban has also been an inconsistent figure, struggling to play week in week out for his club side. The 25-year-old has made only six starts in his last 12 league outings.
Having scored three goals and possessing a higher dribble percentage than Hagi, there are clear positives but they must beware of the omens of buying from Turkey.
The Ghanaian has already failed in Britain, netting twice in 21 matches during a spell with Leeds and like Tugay, it’s uncertain whether he’d actually get too many minutes on the field after coming from Turkey.
He’d be behind a plethora of attackers at the club and could end up like Sheyi Ojo, fighting for action.
Rangers have Ryan Kent and Joe Aribo, as well as young players like Kai Kennedy and Brandon Barker fighting for places out wide. That’s not to mention 29-goal Alfredo Morelos up front too.
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For players coming across from that region of the world, it’s clear things don’t always work out. Take Nadir Ciftci for example – he scored just four times in 26 matches for Celtic over three years at the club.
Ekuban might well be a good piece of business but at the potential £9m touted for his services, they must beware of walking into another Tugay shaped trap. He flopped after arriving from Turkey and Rangers must ensure their new target isn’t made of similar material. History suggests he might be.
Meanwhile, two Rangers men have become part of a WORRYING trend at Ibrox…