Preston North End fancied signing Scott Wright over the summer and he has received an unexpected Rangers opportunity.
PNE simply had to bring in more speed and dribbling ability over the summer transfer window.
It took a while but Liam Millar arrived from Basel and has so far looked like the ideal player to bring those attributes.
Duane Holmes offers some of that too, allow North End to pose different problems in the final third.
Millar was a target as far back as March, but tough negotiations with Basel meant PNE looked at other options – including Scott Wright.
PNE interest in Scott Wright explained
There had been murmurings of North End’s interest in Wright before Football Scotland reported on it back in June.
They claimed that a proposed move for Wright to join North End ‘broke down’ over the player’s valuation.
North End allegedly made a ‘lowball’ offer for Wright and Rangers flatly rejected the offer, which was nowhere close to the price tag.
It was suggested that PNE still admired Wright but that the move went no further once Rangers rejected North End’s proposal.
Wright was surplus to requirements under Michael Beale and looked poised to leave Rangers even with North End missing out.
A strange deal to join Turkish side Pendikspor was close but ultimately collapsed, and the transfer window closed without an exit being agreed.
Wright given another Rangers chance
Rangers have now seemingly decided to reintegrate Wright into their squad having missed out on a deal to sell him.
The 26-year-old was given a shock start against Motherwell on Sunday afternoon but his role seemed very odd.
Wright ended up playing as a midfielder in a 3-5-2 system, a complete departure from his usual role as a winger.
Beale seems open to bringing Wright back into the Rangers fold, especially with starting winger Rabbi Matondo now out injured.
An exit still seems likely in 2024, but PNE are unlikely to be back in the mix with Millar making such a great impact so far.