McLeish howler: Rangers had a 'mare on "outstanding" 362-goal "special player" - opinion

Rangers have not been shy when it comes to spending money on bringing new players to Ibrox over the past few years to help strengthen their squad.

However, as happens with almost any team, they don’t always secure the signing of every player who gets mentioned with a move to the club.

One example of a player who was publicly named as a potential transfer target for the Ibrox outfit in the past that they will regret not signing is Samuel Eto’o.

Speaking back in 2002, then-Gers boss Alex McLeish named Eto’o as a player he liked after sending his assistant Andy Watson to watch the striker in action in a friendly between Cameroon and Argentina.

After scoring 69 goals in 157 appearances for Real Mallorca, the attacker joined Barcelona in the summer of 2004, where he racked up 130 goals in 199 appearances, winning numerous trophies along the way including two Champions League titles.

With five years at Barcelona under his belt, the Cameroon international then made the move to Italy with Inter Milan, once again winning numerous titles and enforcing his reputation as a deadly goalscorer, finding the back of the net 53 times in 102 appearances.

Following that, Eto’o had spells with numerous clubs across England, Russia, Turkey and Qatar before retiring in 2019 with a grand total of 362 goals to his name in what was undoubtedly a glittering career.

Labelled an “outstanding” character by Pep Guardiola and a “special player” by Jose Mourinho, two of the most successful managers of all time, it’s safe to say that McLeish had a howler by not making sure he secured Eto’o’s signature when he and his assistant were looking at him for Rangers.

Had the 41-year-old joined the Light Blues before he eventually moved to Barcelona, the Gers may