Former Southampton director of football operations Ross Wilson has opened up for the first time on his move from the Premier League side to Rangers.
Speaking to The Glasgow Evening Times, the now-Director of Football for the Scottish giants admitted that he had been approached by the club two years ago to take over the position, and that refusing Rangers in 2017 was a ‘difficult decision’ for him.
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The report also claims that Wilson, who joined Southampton in 2015 as Director of Scouting and Recruitment, held positive talks with the Rangers hierarchy two years ago about joining the club then but still refused a move to the Scottish Premiership club.
The 36-year-old said: “I had a really enjoyable, strong journey south of the border but I’m delighted to come back north and it’s been a positive few weeks since I came back,” with Wilson later adding: “It was a difficult decision to not come a couple of years ago. There was a blank sheet of paper at the time to try and help rebuild the football club.”
The seemingly concerning comments could indicate why Southampton’s business in recent years has been as poor as it has been with Wilson at the helm, who was the man tasked with overseeing the club’s footballing operations and bringing new players in.
With no replacement lined-up yet for the important role and The Southern Daily Echo reporting that the club will look to appoint a players trading expert to replace the Wilson, Southampton are seemingly taking a new direction as to how they sign new players after two years of poor signings.
Finding a replacement for Wilson be of the utmost importance for Southampton, yet this recent interview with the former director of football operations seemingly stating that he had joining Rangers in the back of his mind for a while, it could answer why the club’s transfers as of late have been as poor as they have.
