Gerrard must be wary of angering Rangers fans further after ‘joke’ comment on Gers man in August – TBR View

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Steven Gerrard may have only left Ibrox a few days ago, but he is already being linked with a future move for a host of Rangers players.

It was reported over the weekend that Gerrard wants Ryan Kent, Glen Kamara and Borna Barisic. But it was also suggested that he is keen to land Nathan Patterson following his appointment at Aston Villa.

Gerrard upset a lot of Rangers fans by leaving. His decision was all the more difficult to stomach after he mocked a question about potentially leaving Ibrox for Newcastle just a couple of weeks before Villa came calling.

So coming back for any of his former players would arguably damage his legacy further.

Of course, that will not be his priority any longer. He is now in charge at Villa Park. And his focus will be on improving the squad available to him.

But following some comments he made in the summer, he will surely be aware that he could upset a lot of supporters depending on how Villa handle any pursuit of Patterson in particular.

Villa are not the first Premier League club to eye the 20-year-old. Everton made their move for the Scotland international in the summer. And it was claimed at one stage that the Toffees had bid £5 million.

Unsurprisingly, the bid was snubbed. And Gerrard made it very clear of what he made of the offer.

Gerrard in danger of upsetting Rangers fans further if Villa make low offer for Patterson

“£5m is, I don’t know, that’s definitely come out of a joke book surely,” he said at the time.

“There’s a big future here for Nathan. He’s got to be patient and he’ll get game time and minutes.

“We’re delighted with him, he’s not someone we’re looking to move on but every single person has got a number. But let me tell you now, £5m is so far away it’s unreal.”

With that in mind, Gerrard must be aware that it will not go down at all well with Rangers fans if Villa offer anything like £5 million for Patterson in the future.

Clearly, Gerrard felt that the Gers should demand considerably more. So it would not be the best look if Villa now attempted to land Patterson for a fee not that much higher than what Everton put on the table.

Gerrard may have little say in what Villa offer. But he will be aware that offering anything less than £10 million will likely fail.

The only benefit to such a bid is that it may unsettle Patterson if he is open to a move.

That certainly will not sit well with the Rangers fans with many already feeling somewhat betrayed by Gerrard walking away earlier this month.