He might be an ex-pat Scotsman, living and working in the USA. But when it comes to grasping the finer details of German football, Derek Rae is a walking, talking encyclopedia.
The ESPN commentator gets up at the crack of dawn every morning just to keep on top of the breaking news coming out of his beloved Bundesliga. So even though he’s stuck on the other side of the pond, it most certainly hasn’t escaped his notice that Rangers are currently embarking on a summer recruitment drive which could see them pluck two young talents from the fringes of Bayern Munich and Schalke.
Welsh speed merchant Rabbi Matondo has been granted leave from Schalke’s pre-season camp in order to thrash out a deal to take him to Ibrox. USMNT frontman Malik Tillman, meanwhile, could follow him to Glasgow if, as now seems likely, Giovanni van Bronckhorst is priced out of a move for £7m playmaker Angelo Fulgini – a player Rae might be commentating on next season now that the Frenchman seems on the brink of moving to Mainz.
