Rangers accounts were released this week which is the highlight of any fan’s year, sorry, Celtic fan’s year, but finance expert and Abdallah Sima fan, Kieran Maguire, was on hand to give us more than just insight into our books.
The well-known Brighton fan is a respected voice in football and is a regular feature on national radio and on podcasts across the country, as well as being a finance lecturer by day.
Speaking to Rangers podcast This is Ibrox, Maguire was asked by host Tommy McIntyre about the chances of Abdallah Sima sticking around beyond this season and explained how one of the best player trading models is such a success.
Rangers are grasping at straws in their pursuit of Abdallah Sima.
Sima has made the sort of impact that we all hoped Sam Lammers or Cyriel Dessers would make
It had to be the one loan signing that is on form, is an Ibrox faithful faviourite and a player who cost his parent club a fee in the region of £6m.
A quick look in Brighton’s starting XI sees players like Kaoru Mitoma and Billy Gilmour who barely kicked a ball in their first season at the club before becoming regulars this year.
The pathway for Rangers loanee Abdallah Sima could be a similar one according to Maguire, when asked by McIntyre what the chances of keeping the 22-year old forward were:
“Well, I did have a marriage proposal to Taylor Swift rejected and I think your chances of getting Sima have a similar degree of success.
“The Brighton model is to recruit players with a view to bringing them into the first team, not necessarily straight away.
“Quite often they will have a pathway of more than one year and I appreciate that Sima has just been voted SPFL player of the month.
“The nature of the way that Brighton play, they play with two wingers, they would like to have more than two wingers.
“One of our wingers has just got a long-term injury but, they don’t need him this season.
“Brighton have also got a player trading model, Brighton are always looking to bring back players with a few to replacing the ones that have left.”
And on the chances of cut-price deal:
“That’s not the Brighton way of doing things, I can assure you!”
Do Rangers have a chance of signing Abdallah Sima?
As McIntyre said, it looks like Rangers are only going to have Abdallah Sima for one season.
When he decided to join the club on loan, Rangers fans knew what Brighton’s usual MO was and that they don’t exactly have a reputation for being weak in the transfer market.
David Weir might have done us a favour in getting Sima in the first place but I’m not sure he would risk the wrath of his employers to square us away with a bargain.
What doesn’t go in Brighton’s favour that might help Rangers, which Maguire didn’t mention, is that this isn’t the first time Abdallah Sima has been on loan.
In fact, after spells at Stoke City and Angers, this is his third time away from Brighton.
With just a year left of his contract at the Seagulls when his loan at Rangers ends, a decision will have to be made.
Maguire knows his stuff when it comes to money but, on this occasion, could he be wrong and could Rangers benefit?
I suppose we’ll need to wait until next summer to find out.
