Rangers Dutch international defender Arthur Numan has announced that he will quit both Rangers and football at the end of the current season.
Although Rangers were willing and wanted to keep the left-back for one more season and Numan was willing to accept a pay-cut, the two parties were poles apart.
Numan is believed to have been unwilling to accept half (around £10,000 per week) of his current wages. My personal view is that this shows that Rangers cannot afford and are indeed unwilling to afford the financial folly that has gone on in the past.
Rangers have already said that they want to look to more youthful players – therefore giving a 33/34 year old up to £20,000 per week would be madness in the current climate, or madness even outwith the current climate.
The fact that Numan has decided to quit football entirely following this speaks volumes – would he have been given such a handsome salary elsewhere? Thankfully for this Bear, Rangers are no longer (forced or otherwise) the financial mugs of Europe.
Numan has served us well and has been an accomplished and cultured left-back for ourselves. My only hope is that he gives his all for the club in his final 5 months (unlike others have in similar situations in the past) and he will leave with a fond farewell.
Vanderhogg
The East Enclosure Dutchman