Hamburg defender David Bates revealed he left Rangers in 2018 for footballing reasons and that he had no hard feelings regarding the club.
The 22-year-old centre-back joined the Bundesliga club upon his contract at Ibrox expiring and claimed that Gers Director of Football Mark Allen did make efforts to keep him at the club and it wasn’t down to lack of effort on his part.
Bates added that those around him knew the true facts regarding his Rangers departure and it was nothing to do with the amount of money being offered to him.
“I got offered a contract by late on in the summer, but I had Hamburg to consider and other offers from England. It wasn’t that (Mark) Allen didn’t try hard enough, it was my decision,” Bates told Sky Sports.
“I’ve got no hard feelings.
“I’m still a Rangers supporter and I still watch the games.
“People move on and you see it all across the country.
“Everyone around me, my agent and my family, know what the true facts are. There were no figures, no sums, so it doesn’t bother me. I get on with my football and let those people talk about that stuff.”
OPINION
Bates has made 16 appearances for Hamburg this season and seems to have no real regrets over choosing to leave Rangers when he did. While the 22-year-old did break a lot of Gers hearts when he exited in the summer, supporters will appreciate that he still keeps an eye on his former club. Bates regularly featured for Rangers in the 2017/18 campaign, as he made 20 appearances across all competitions, and he looked to have a bright future at the club. While he ended up deciding to leave, there should be no ill feeling towards him. Bates opted to go experience football in Germany in a bid to continue growing as a footballer and it’s hard not to believe that he left for footballing reasons rather than anything else. While players opted jump at more lucrative contracts being offered, Bates does seem to have improved from testing himself in a different country and that should be commended, not condoned.