Albanian international, Eros Grezda, has left Rangers to rejoin former club Osijek after failing to make the grade in more ways than one at Ibrox, as reported by The Daily Record.
Although the fee is undisclosed, the Gers are believed to have recouped some of the £2m fee they paid for Grezda and also have a sell on clause as part of the deal, sporting director Ross Wilson already proving his worth given how far out of the first-team picture the winger was.
Grezda, although highly rated, arrived at Ibrox injured and didn’t see any action until September 2018, he made just a handful of starts and 17 appearances in total as Glenn Middleton, Ryan Kent, Daniel Candeias, Kyle Lafferty and Scott Arfield were all preferred in attacking areas.
The undoubted highlight – considering the lack of any other real options – of his 18-months at the club was his double and overall performance in the 7-1 rout of Motherwell at Ibrox in December 2018, his only goals for the club.
He never really kicked on though and was part of the now infamous Liverpool U23 fixture in which he, Lafferty and Borna Barisic were all hooked at half-time whilst Rangers were losing 4-0, their young replacements recovered to scrape a 4-4 draw but the damage had been done. A summer exit to France appeared on the cards but the window opened and shut with Grezda still at the club.
Of the “Liverpool three”, Barisic was the only one to apologise to Steven Gerrard and his transformation has been incredible if not entirely unexpected. Grezda, on the other hand, went in the opposite direction, culminating in a spitting incident in the Challenge Cup victory over Ballymena earlier this season, which prompted manager Gerrard to say he would never represent the club again.
Was Eros Grezda unlucky at Rangers or was he a waste of space?
Unlucky
Waste of space
The Albanian is the perfect example of a player who had the potential and ability to do well for Rangers only to fall considerably short in effort and application, qualities that Gerrard holds as a bare minimum to don the famous Light Blue shirt, he won’t be missed and his wages can now be put to more productive use.