Rabbi Matondo's move to Rangers has left some in the football community perplexed - but Cercle Bruges sporting director Carlos Avina Ibarrola is delighted he has got another big move.
The Belgian First Division club convinced the Welsh international to complete a loan move to them last summer from Schalke and he paid them back handsomely via 10 goals and two assists. He returned to Germany earlier this summer and sealed a seven-figure move to Rangers, but there's been a hint of surprise around this.
A Welsh international keen to play for them at the World Cup in Qatar later this year, The Athletic report his transfer 'has surprised some observers' as there was Premier League interest in Manchester City's former youngster. A big pitch from Ibrox boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst at their Portuguese training camp earlier this month though proved pivotal and it helped the Dutchman land another signing target.
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Ibarrola says it's a shame Matondo isn't back in Belgium, but admitted: “It was a long discussion that we had but Rabbi is a special story. I’m super happy for him that he went to Rangers, it was just a pity he couldn’t stay with us.
"I got a good feeling from the first minute I spoke to him. He’s a fantastic boy and he was important to our dressing room, so that is a big loss.
"There is a saying here in Belgium — he is like the mayonnaise as he brings everything together, and that was definitely the case with him.”
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