Glasgow Rangers have not won a trophy since Giovanni van Bronckhorst led the club to Scottish Cup success at the end of the 2021/22 season and Michael Beale is now facing the pressure as a result.
Who were van Bronckhorst's most expensive Rangers signings?
The Dutch head coach, who was replaced by Beale during the break for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar last term, secured just the one piece of silverware during his time at Ibrox.
That said, van Bronckhorst was not blessed with a huge amount of money to spend, making his accomplishment rather impressive.
Player
Fee paid
Ben Davies
£4m
Ridvan Yilmaz
£3.4m
Rabbi Matondo
£2.6m
Antonio Colak
£2.1m
Mateusz Zukowski
£511k
Fees via Transfermarkt.
This meant that the former Feyenoord boss had to be creative with how he and Ross Wilson went about their business in the transfer market.
They had to spend wisely and pick up unearthed gems in order to significantly bolster the team and one player they missed out on would have been a perfect fit in that regard.
Former Rangers defender Bert Konterman recently revealed that van Bronckhorst attempted to sign Tijjani Reijnders from AZ Alkmaar in 2022. The ex-Gers man advised the player's father that a move to Ibrox would have come too soon and convinced him to remain with the Dutch side.
How much was Reijnders worth at Alkmaar?
There is no mention of how much the Light Blues were willing to pay for the 25-year-old but, Football Transfers placed his Expected Transfer Value (xTV) at just €1m (£860k) in August of that year.
This came after the Dutch talent had an underwhelming Eredivisie campaign with Alkmaar during the 2021/22 campaign as he struggled to break into the team on a regular basis after showcasing his talent at youth level.
The talented prospect racked up 19 goals and 13 assists in 92 matches for the club's U21 side to earn himself an opportunity within the senior squad.
Reijnders averaged an unimpressive Sofascore rating of 6.84 across 33 league outings in 2021/22 and was only named in the starting line-up on 11 occasions, which suggests that his manager did not trust him to start week-in-week-out at that time.
He did produce four goals and two assists, along with four 'big chances' created for his teammates, but there had not been any evidence of consistently impressive displays.
However, van Bronckhorst clearly saw a talent there and wanted to bring him to the Scottish giants to unearth a gem but was unable to convince the player to make the switch, due in part to Konterman's advice.
The Dutch head coach will surely regret not pushing harder or being more convincing as Reijnders went on to enjoy a phenomenal 2022/23 campaign.
How much is Reijnders worth now?
After an impressive season with Alkmaar, Italian giants AC Milan, who reached the semi-final of the Champions League last term, secured his services for a reported fee of €19m (£16m) plus add-ons this summer.
This means that his value rocketed by 1,800% from the initial €1m that he was rated at by Football Transfers a year ago. Although, they currently rate his xTV at €14.3m (£12.3m) which is less than the actual value of his move to Milan but still a whopping increase of 1,300%.
Therefore, Rangers could have signed a player who had the potential to exponentially increase his worth to the club within the space of a year, which could have resulted in the Scottish giants being able to rake in a significant profit on him further down the line.
Why is Reijnders worth that much?
His soaring market price has come off the back of his superb form for Alkmaar last season. Reijnders finally established himself as a regular starter for the Dutch side and delivered consistently excellent displays in midfield.
He averaged a sublime Sofascore rating of 7.32 across 34 Eredivisie starts and caught the eye with his contributions at both ends of the pitch.
Reijnders showcased his creative quality with seven assists, 1.8 key passes per game, and 12 'big chances' created in total for his teammates in the Dutch top-flight.
The 25-year-old wizard also displayed his defensive ability with 2.7 tackles and interceptions per match in the middle of the park, which shows that he was willing to put his foot in to win possession back for his team on a regular basis each game.
Only three outfield players, Todd Cantwell, James Tavernier, and Borna Barisic, averaged a higher Sofascore rating for Rangers in the Scottish Premiership last season than Reijnders did for Alkmaar. This suggests that he had the potential to be one of van Bronckhorst's, and subsequently Michael Beale's, top performers at Ibrox.
The Milan star's seven assists also indicate that he could have been a terrific creator in midfield for the Light Blues. No Gers midfielder managed more than four league assists during the 2022/23 campaign, which suggests that the side lacked creativity in that area of the pitch.
How has Reijnders performed this season?
Reijnders, who made his debut for the Netherlands earlier this month, has hit the ground running in Milan since his £16m transfer to the Italian side.
The terrific midfield general, who was once hailed as the star of an "unplayable" midfield for Alkmaar by journalist Josh Bunting, has averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.10 across three Serie A outings to date.
He has completed 92% of his attempted passes and provided one assist, from one 'big chance' created, to go along with a 100% dribble success rate, as per Sofascore.
At the age of 25, Reijnders also still has plenty of time left on his hands to develop further to increase his market value by even more over the years to come.
The Dutchman could hone his skills with Milan, thanks to the experience of playing in a major European league, before making another big move in the future, if he continues to grow and adapt his game.
Indeed, it's safe to say that Van Bronckhorst certainly made a mistake by failing to sign him for Rangers.
