Rangers announced their latest signing for the academy but you get the feeling. that this one won’t be kicking about the B team and Under-18s for too long such is his pedigree.
Zak Lovelace, having turned 16-years old is eligible to sign a professional contract in Scotland but not in England, and this is exactly what the former Millwall striker has done, with the club announcing his transfer yesterday.
Rangers Academy are delighted to announce the signing of striker Zak Lovelace from @MillwallFC.https://t.co/i28eQBVwRb pic.twitter.com/2YB4LMIXnj
— Rangers B & Academy (@RFC_Youth) July 4, 2022
Millwall manager Gary Rowett is far from happy at the deal, however, much like ourselves with Rory Wilson, clubs will always look to pick up the best talent available whenever possible. Speaking to a club media outlet, via Football Scotland, Rowett said ahead of the move:
“Obviously he hasn’t signed a contract yet. At the moment if another club comes in that’s something we’ll find out. It’s out of our hands, really.
“We want him to stay, we’ve always wanted him to stay but sometimes different driving forces means that doesn’t happen. We’ll wait and see how that plays out.
“It would be a shame. He’s obviously a player that has come through the academy, they’ve worked hard with him, put in lots of hours and you want to see that come to fruition if possible.”
Ross Wilson and Craig Mulholland were delighted with what is a huge coup, given the interest in his signature, and it may be that Lovelace is treated differently to most of the other youth players we’ve seen arriving this summer seeing as he already has first-team experience at Millwall in what is a very physical league.
Rowett hints at “driving forces” behind Lovelace’s move, however, he’s been given the opportunity to join the Europa League finalists, a club that has shown in the last two seasons that if you are good enough, you are old enough.
He’s certainly going to be a name to watch over the next few seasons to go with an already talented group of youngsters in and around first-team, although it’s certainly a name that won’t be forgotten in a hurry.