ALLY McCOIST has revealed he tried to sign Jamie Vardy for Rangers – but couldn’t afford him.
Leicester City poached Vardy from non-league side Fleetwood Town for a bargain £1million in 2012.
Ally McCoist targeted Jamie Vardy during his time as Rangers bossCredit: PA:Press Association
Vardy eventually left Fleetwood for Leicester City and is now one of England’s top strikersCredit: Reuters
The striker, 33, has since gone on to win the Premier League and star for England at international level.
But Vardy’s career could have turned out very differently had McCoist been given the funds to bring him to Ibrox.
The former Gers boss told talkSPORT: “I remember looking at him when he was at Fleetwood and I was at Rangers.
“I had John Brown, my chief scout, look at him two or three times and it was an absolute no-brainer but we couldn’t get the money to sign him.
“He’s been fantastic. I couldn’t get the money at that time, and we weren’t talking about a lot of money.
“It was unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable. It was more the position our club was in at that particular time to tell you the truth.
“Thankfully for Jamie he made the correct decision and never let me anywhere near him!”
Meanwhile, the first Old Firm derby of the new season will be staged at Celtic Park before the end of October.
It’s understood the SPFL plan to release the 2020-21 Premiership and Championship fixtures next Friday.
Celtic boss Neil Lennon indicated a fortnight ago he’d like the opening home clash against the Gers – normally watched by nearly 60,000 fans – pushed back as long as possible to at least ensure it’s not behind closed doors due to the Covid-19 situation.
But, it’s now believed that won’t happen and it will be fixed for a date no later than October.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
