Steven Gerrard refreshed the Rangers attack this season with moves for Ryan Kent, Jordan Jones, Greg Stewart, Sheyi Ojo and later Ianis Hagi and Florian Kamberi, but few are having a better season than the man Gerrard sold for just £250,000 last summer.
Daniel Candeias was a very popular figure at Ibrox, so much so that his departure left supporters extremely emotional, praising their “sweet prince” and calling his exit a “nightmare”.
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Indeed, the 32 year-old was always the hardest working player on the pitch even if he wasn’t the best, and he did manage to rack up 14 goals and 25 assists in 97 appearances for the club.
His relationship with Alfredo Morelos was well documented and his phenomenal back-heel assist to the Colombian in a Europa League win over Rapid Vienna even had fans fawning over it a year after the event… so what’s he been up to since he left?
Where is Candeias now?
Candeias joined Turkish Super Lig outfit Genclerbirligi S.K. in July of last year for just £250k (Transfermarkt). They currently sit 12th in the table.
On a personal level though, the former Portugal youth international has shone as a playmaker since his departure from Glasgow, grabbing three goals and six assists in 24 league appearances, which is 0.25 assists per game. To put that into perspective, Hagi is averaging 0.17 assists per game at Ibrox.
Delving deeper into the numbers, Candeias actually deserves more assists than he has, boasting an average of 1.5 key passes per game. This is more than Hagi has managed at Rangers (1.3), and the veteran winger also manages more shots and dribbles.
Of course, none of this is a knock on Hagi, who has been superb since his January move, but it does go to show how Candeias has thrived since his exit, performing even better than the promising youngster and perhaps implying it was a mistake to let him go so soon.
Rangers fans have been divided by a potentially “shambolic” decision from the club…