David Bates will be on his way out from the Ibrox stadium next season as he has agreed to a deal with the German club, Hamburg. The relegation-threatened Bundesliga team has handed him a four-year contract. Graeme Murty, the Rangers boss, clearly said that Bates has gone for more money as his club was refusing to meet his wage demands.
Murty said-,”Let’s not beat around the bush, David has gone for more money than we can offer him and he could be playing in Bundesliga II next year. It was clearly visible that the boss was disappointed with the path the young teenager chose.”
He further added,’’ We offered him a contract that we felt was good enough to see him stay. I am disappointed more than surprised that he hasn’t accepted it. “I felt he could be an international footballer remaining at Rangers and I put that to him. He has lots to work on and develop but I feel he could do that here. Rangers is a great platform to showcase his talents.” The manager also went on to blame the player’s agent for these developments.
Bates has managed to make 25 appearances for the first team and we look at possible replacements for the defender
John Souttar
He started his career at Dundee United and Souttar currently play for the Hearts. Souttar is just 21 but is considered to have a mature head over his shoulder. He has been impressive for the Hearts and many of the Scottish fans are expecting him to be called up for the National team soon. He has represented Scotland in various age restricted and youth tournaments and he is being touted to have a big future for his club and country. At Rangers, he certainly can take his game a notch higher as he is still young and can improve himself.
Steven Caulker
Caulker is a traditional ‘no nonsesnse’ defender who currently plays for Dundee. He started his career at Tottenham Hotspur but couldn’t get regular playing time. He has been around the blocks for quite some time but he is still 26 and can strengthen Rangers backline if he decides to make the switch from Dundee.
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Niall Mason
Mason plays for the League One side Doncaster Rovers and can be a good punt if Rangers decides to go for him. He has been part of the Real Madrid youth academy for three years. He can play anywhere in the backline but usually plays in the centreback role. He has been a regular for Doncaster Rovers and Rangers can look up to him to fill the void which will be left by David Bate in the summer.
