OPINION
To say that Bruno Alves has divided opinion during his single season at Rangers would be an understatement – but it is about time his career at Ibrox came to an end.
The veteran Portuguese centre back, with his vast amount of experience for both club and country, looked to be a smart signing last summer, bringing in his wealth of knowledge to help the club challenge at the very top of the Scottish Premiership.
However, what he had in appearances he lacked in the necessary physical attributes, his lack of pace and mobility resulting in him being caught out by the quicker opposition he came up against in Scotland’s top flight.
With the Daily Record claiming he is on a significant £28,000-a-week wages, the Light Blues must realise that shedding him this summer will only help their cause, and he might just have provided them with one final boost before seeing him depart.
The Daily Record revealed that Rangers and Cagliari, Alves’ former side, are set to split a minimum of £210,000 thanks to the FIFA initiative which sees clubs paid for their players’ involvement at the World Cup, the defender currently on duty with Portugal.
With the Chronicle revealing Newcastle are to receive a third of the compensation for former star Florian Thauvin, Rangers can expect two-thirds, or £140,000, of what Alves will pick up for the clubs.
It might not be enough to pay Alves off completely, but that money would go some way to a deal for him to cancel his contract and get his huge wages off the books – and Steven Gerrard must be looking at dropping the axe once the World Cup is over.