Yesterday it was confirmed Rangers defender David Bates will be leaving the Scottish Premiership and joining Hamburg in the summer when his contract expires at Ibrox.
This season Bates has become a regular under current Rangers boss Graham Murty, despite competition from the likes of Bruno Alves and Fabio Cardoso.
It’s been reported in the Scottish media Bates’ contract with Rangers wasn’t renewed because of the player’s demands, and subsequently David King decided to draw a line by not offering an extension.
Following the announcement Bates has signed a four year deal with Hamburg, fans of the Bundesliga club had their say on Hamburger Morgenpost.
Obviously, Bates isn’t a household name in Germany and many fans are unsure who their club is bringing in, but they’ve already labelled him with the usual Scottish cliches like Braveheart and even Whisky Wallace.
“Mr Todt conjures up a Braveheart.”
“In Hamburg, his jersey is to be labelled with ‘Whisky Wallace’.”
One general consensus among the Hamburg faithful is that the German club is already preparing for next season with relegation to the second tier looking likely.
Hamburg have hovered around the relegation place for several seasons, and it now seems they’ll be playing Bundesliga 2 for their first time in their history.
“The only chance for the HSV is to try it with young players – no matter which league! If everything goes well then and you can resell the boy after 2 years for big money.”
Bates now has the opportunity to finish the season with silverware and the chance to reach the Scottish Cup final this weekend.
Murty’s side meet local rivals Celtic at Hampden Park on Sunday, and Rangers have a chance to deny Brendan Rodgers’ side another treble.
ND
