How Rangers beat Southampton & Wolves to Dan Neil transfer | OneFootball

The reason why Dan Neil snubbed a return to the Championship in favour of joining Rangers

Southampton and Wolverhampton Wanderers, alongside West Ham United, are likely to represent three of the likelier contenders for automatic promotion in the 2026/27 Championship campaign, with the latter two having suffered relegation from the Premier League last time out.

The two outfits have not competed in the second-tier in eight and 14 years respectively, and will be keen to make their presence felt as they plot bids to immediately return to the highest level.

Southampton, meanwhile, were at the centre of unparalleled controversy and scandal back in May when it emerged that the Saints had sent an intern analyst to spy on a Middlesbrough training session ahead of the Championship play-off semi-finals - an act which is forbidden but had been done on more than one occasion previously - and Tonda Eckert's side were eventually expelled from the competition to be replaced by the Teessiders, having initially defeated them over two legs, to set up a showpiece final against Hull City at Wembley.

Alongside expulsion, Southampton have also received a four-point deduction for the start of next season but they will fancy their chances of mounting a fresh promotion bid regardless.

It's little surprise, then, that Southampton have been exploring the same transfer markets as Wolves and West Ham, with the three outfits having all registered an interest in acquiring Dan Neil following his release from boyhood club Sunderland.

However, their efforts would not come to fruition as the midfielder opted for a switch north of the border to sign for Rangers instead - and the reason why has become clearer in a new update.

Why Dan Neil joined Rangers over Southampton, Wolves and West Ham

Neil, who spent the second-half of the previous campaign on loan at Ipswich Town as the Tractor Boys secured a second-placed finish behind Championship title-winners Coventry City, emerged as a hot property as he neared his official departure from Sunderland.

A driving force behind Sunderland's emphatic rise from League One back to the Premier League before finding himself surplus to requirements under Regis Le Bris once the Black Cats returned to the top-flight, Neil's second-tier pedigree and proven promotion-winning experience naturally led to no shortage of interest in his signature.

Burnley, West Ham, Wolves and ambitious Welsh outfit Wrexham were all linked with the 24-year-old alongside unnamed continental sides, though it was Southampton who came closest to snapping up his services by engaging in advanced talks.

Neil had appeared set to move to the south coast before Rangers hijacked the deal, and it was the ex-Sunderland stalwart's presence to move to Ibrox as opposed to returning to the Championship.

A new update from the Rangers Review has now offered greater insight as to why Neil snubbed Southampton and a host of second-tier suitors to join the Scottish giants.

As per that report, the opportunity to play European football at an iconic stadium in Ibrox for a larger club than any in the Championship was what excited Neil the most and ultimately turned his head after initially closing in on a move to Southampton.

It's said that although Neil would have potentially been in line to receive a more handsome salary at a promotion-aspiring side at second-tier level, those factors outweighed any financial incentives for the freshly-acquired Gers midfielder.

Of course, Southampton are the side who will lick their wounds the most, having made serious and agonisingly close plays to seal a deal, but it's also a blow for the likes of Burnley, West Ham, Wolves and Wrexham - even if the rationale behind Neil's decision makes perfect sense.

Dan Neil's Rangers switch is a blow for Southampton, Wolves and West Ham

Although Wolves, West Ham and Burnley can all summon handsome first-year parachute payment packages to aid their squad-bolstering efforts in the summer transfer window, whereas Southampton are also in the second year of that deal and Wrexham have spent lavishly in recent seasons, there is still plenty of value to be found in the free agent market and Neil was a prime example of that.

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The opportunity to snap up a 24-year-old free agent with more than 200 appearances in the Championship and League One to speak of, alongside two second-tier promotions - one of which he captained - doesn't arrive too often, and no shock emerged when a series of top-bracket sides at this level begun to explore moves.

Neil's presence would've been especially welcomed at Southampton, Wolves or West Ham, with all three sides likely to lose a host of key operators this summer, and it will be interesting to see where these outfits set their sights in the coming days and weeks after missing out on an undisputed bargain in Neil.