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Two starts since November; reported £3m loan Ranger’s Ibrox career hangs in the balance
As Ianis Hagi came off the bench for Alavés against Villarreal, the Rangers loanee had little time to properly impact the game.
Earning only four minutes in the 1-1 La Liga draw, it was only the playmaker’s second substitute appearance in six league matches for the mid-table Spanish side.
Having also come off the bench in last weekend’s 3-1 defeat to Barcelona, there were hopes that Ianis Hagi might’ve turned a corner at Alavés this season.
But the Romanian’s stuttering run of only two La Liga starts since early November – and only six in total this season – shows no signs of coming to an end with Rangers already starting to move on.
Ianis Hagi struggling for Alavés minutes
Ianis Hagi moved on loan with Alavés with no option-to-buy in the summer and since then the Rangers loanee has enjoyed a middling spell in Spain.
Netting a double in a Copa Del Rey over lowly Deportivo Murcia, Ianis Hagi is still without a league goal for Alavés and running out of time to make his mark in La Liga.
Due to head back to Ibrox at the end of the season – having only just signed a new contract at Rangers in the last campaign – there are major doubts that Alavés will stump up to sign the playmaker.
Rangers too appear to have moved on and it’ll be interesting to see how the next few months and the summer go for the popular 25-year-old.
With Romania also having qualified for Euro 2024, it could put Ianis Hagi in the shop window because his time at Rangers appears all but over.
Rangers future hangs in the balance
The Gers playmaker appeared to say his permanent goodbyes when he signed off from Ibrox duties when the loan switch to Alavés was announced.
Murmurs of a potential recall were also silenced with Rangers reportedly failing to negotiate an early release from the loan deal with the La Liga side.
Rangers too have gone in a different direction; in has come Mohamed Diomande to a competitive midfield, whilst Todd Cantwell, Tom Lawrence, and Kieran Dowell provide stiff Ianis Hagi competition.
It’s competition which the Romanian, in the wake of a devastating cruciate ligament injury in 2022, was not in anyway satisfied with last summer.
Throw in the fact that Fabio Silva – the Wolves loanee mooted for a longer stint in Glasgow – has taken the number 7 jersey and suddenly it points to Ianis Hagi having already played his final game for the club.
But with his stint at Alavés really not going to plan at the moment, who know what the future holds for a player once tipped for the very top of the beautiful game.
Ianis Hagi joined Rangers from RC Genk on a reported £3m deal in 2021, having initially joined on loan, with the playmaker going on to make 99 appearances at Ibrox.
We very much doubt he’ll ever get the chance to make it 100.
