The Light Blues had a howler when they let the talented youngster walk for nothing.
Glasgow Rangers have had multiple players stake their claim for a place in the first-team after impressing for the academy during the 2023/24 campaign.
Zak Lovelace, Cole McKinnon, and Ross McCausland have all – to varying degrees – been involved with the senior squad as a reward for their superb B team form.
Hopefully, they will go on to enjoy successful careers in the first-team but one player who was deprived of the chance to do just that was Scotland international Lewis Ferguson.
The central midfielder, who is the nephew of Gers icon Barry Ferguson, was released by the club as a teenager, before he could make his senior bow, and has gone on to emerge as a fantastic player and a target for some massive European clubs.
Lewis Ferguson’s career in Scotland
After being let go by the Light Blues, the teenage whiz signed for Hamilton and went on to rack up five assists in 14 first-team matches after coming through the academy system.
Aberdeen then swooped to secure the midfield star, who was lauded as a “diamond” by former Hamilton owner Ronnie MacDonald, in the summer of 2018 to bolster their options in the middle of the park.
He eventually produced 37 goals and 23 assists in 169 appearances in all competitions for the Dons in total during his time with the Scottish side.
| 21/22 Premiership | Lewis Ferguson |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 36 |
| Sofascore rating | 7.29 |
| Goals | 11 |
| Assists | 1 |
| Duel success rate | 61% |
| Stats via Sofascore | |
As you can see in the table above, Ferguson caught the eye with his quality as a scorer in midfield, who can also hold his own in physical duels, during his last Scottish Premiership season with Aberdeen.
His impressive form convinced Serie A side Bologna to snap him up for a reported fee of £3m in the summer of 2022, at which point Rangers may have already been regretting their decision to release him from their academy.
European interest in Lewis Ferguson
The Gers had a big howler with the attacking midfielder, as he is currently thriving in Italy with Bologna, who he scored seven league goals for last term, and has attracted interest from some European giants.
Earlier this month, Sky Sports reported that Serie A giants Juventus and reigning champions Napoli, who boast the likes of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Victor Osimhen in their squad, are interested in a possible summer swoop to sign the Scotland international at the end of this season.
The National have also claimed that his current club value him at a staggering £22m, which is significantly more than the £3m they paid Aberdeen for his services, and shows that Rangers missed out on a big payday.
Ferguson has fired in six goals and assisted four for his teammates in 28 Serie A appearances so far this season for Bologna, and has completed 88% of his attempted passes.
The 24-year-old whiz, who still has time left to develop and improve, has already showcased his quality as a scorer and a creator of goals from midfield in a major European league, and previously proved himself in the Premiership with Aberdeen.
Therefore, Rangers had a howler with their release of the Scottish sensation as they missed out on a fantastic player who has performed well enough to garner interest from European giants like Juventus and Napoli.
GET MORE NEWS HERE
Leave a Reply