The title race between Celtic and the Rangers is expected to go down to the wire this season, with both sides putting in solid performances and results in recent weeks and months. The two Glasgow giants have started the January transfer window in different fashion though. The Hoops have already brought in Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate and Yosuke Ideguchi. On the other hand, Nathan Patterson has departed Ibrox to join Everton.
Patterson is the most highly-rated youngster to come through the Rangers in a long time. But with the club needing to balance the books, it was a good move for them overall.
Patterson will now compete with Seamus Coleman for the right-back spot at the Premier League club. And the Everton captain has not taken much time to let his love for Celtic be known to the former Rangers player.
As reported by The Scottish Sun, Patterson told Everton’s official YouTube channel:
"“I sat and had a good conversation with him yesterday.“He let me know he was a Celtic fan so he had to get that in there early on!”"
Coleman makes Celtic admission to Patterson
Coleman has been linked with a move to Celtic in the past but it has never quite materialised. Now, at 33 years of age, it feels unlikely that it will ever happen.
It must be a blow for the Rangers to have to let go of Patterson without him ever making a real mark at the club. But considering the circumstances, they must be happy to land a transfer fee north of £10 million for the 20-year-old.
It remains to be seen how the transfer race unfolds between the two sides. At the moment, the Rangers do have a 6-point lead at the top of the Premiership table but it is nothing that cannot be overturned with the Hoops in good form as well as the fact that there are still three Glasgow Derbies left to be played this season. Let’s see how it goes.