The Hagi story is the latest proof that austerity is biting at Ibrox in a big way.

For those who know what they’re looking at and want answers to the big questions in our game, the signs of Ibrox austerity continue to emerge, one piece at a time. Yesterday’s revelation about Ianis Hagi was one of the most telling yet.

In some ways, this story shouldn’t surprise me because Hagi has been the dorsal fin breaking the surface for a while. Earlier in the season, we learned that if he played one more game, it would trigger a wage increase in his contract. The club made it clear they wouldn’t let that happen, and so he was effectively banished to the B team.

Of course, the manager wasn’t keen on him anyway, but with the threadbare squad he’s working with, he couldn’t afford to simply discard a player. The decision was about money, not football. That alone was a clear signal that things at Ibrox are much worse than the club or the media would have anyone believe.

What makes the latest Hagi story even more fascinating is its timing. The club is supposedly revamping its transfer policy to avoid losing players with value on free transfers. Yet here we are, with Hagi’s contract expiring in six months. While the club holds an option to extend it by a year, they’ve reportedly told him they won’t exercise it. Instead, he’s been told to sign a new deal now—or walk away for free in the summer.

This is astonishing, not least because it flies in the face of their supposed strategy. It also raises serious questions about how they’re operating over there. The answers, however, are glaringly obvious.

The manager has openly admitted what’s going on: Hagi is expected to take a pay cut if he wants to stay. This, after the club already ensured he forfeited a wage increase by sidelining him earlier in the season. Now, they’re effectively nickel-and-diming one of their own players, trying to tie him down on worse terms than he’s currently on.

This is how they’re treating a player who the media often portrays as one of the darlings of their squad. And yet, this story hasn’t detonated in the newsrooms the way it should. Why? Because the club (and some of the hacks) seem arrogantly confident Hagi will accept this shabby treatment and sign a reduced contract.

Hagi’s father, who has always spoken highly of his son’s talents, should be telling him to rip up the offer and walk away. It’s an insult. His dad has always valued his son much more highly than the rest of football; the only other person who thinks he’s a world class talent is, I think, Keith Jackson. I can only imagine how Hagi Snr. feel about this situation, especially after the sacrifices Hagi has already made to stay there.

Even if you’re not a fan of Hagi—and most people aren’t—he still holds a market value of £2-3 million. That’s assuming someone buys into the hype and thinks they can get a tune out of him. But instead of cashing in, the club and the manager are willing to let him walk away for free. It’s baffling.

How bad must things be over there if they’re prepared to lose a sellable asset just to trim the wage bill? Hagi’s deal includes a straightforward option to extend for another year. That at least gives them a shot at selling him in the summer. If they can’t afford to activate it, the financial situation at Ibrox must be dire indeed.

Clement must be tearing his hair out. They’re reportedly trying to offload Tom Lawrence this window to avoid losing him for nothing in the summer. Balogun’s deal is also up at the end of the season, and there’s no chance he’ll get an extension. Plenty of their younger players are out of contract too, and it’s hard to imagine any of them wanting to sign new deals when they’re not getting game time.

This squad is already being gutted. How much worse will it get? Their January sales strategy doesn’t seem to be working either—they’ve yet to shift a single first-team player or make even a dent in the wage bill. As I wrote recently, that will come back to haunt them in the summer.

Whatever Clement was promised when he took the job, it surely wasn’t this. This latest Hagi story is another puzzle piece, slotting into place and forming a clear picture of the austerity now gripping Ibrox.

This might be the most severe cost-cutting seen at Ibrox since the administrators were in charge back in 2012.

Clement knows it. He can’t be happy.

Photo by Rob Casey/SNS Group via Getty Images

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