Glasgow Rangers played a blinder on former defender Jean-Alain Boumsong, with Alex McLeish making an unbelievable profit on the player after just six months at Ibrox.

The 2003/04 campaign was a disaster for the Light Blues. McLeish had led the club to a wonderful treble the year before and there were high hopes that they could dominate Scotland, especially with the talent at their disposal.

Financial problems meant the summer was full of outgoings, most notably Barry Ferguson while resorting to free transfers in order to add some reinforcements to the playing squad and it soon transpired the vast majority were not up to the required standard.

In December of that same year, the club agreed on a pre-contract deal with French defender Boumsong and he was to join on a five-year contract in the summer of 2004.

Boumsong shone for the club, making Scotland his playground as Rangers emerged from their poor campaign before and challenged Celtic for domestic honours. McLeish hailed him for not needing "much time to settle in" before suggesting in December of 2004 that "we don’t want him to go."

Yet, after just 26 appearances for the Ibrox side, Newcastle came calling within days of the manager's statement with an £8m offer being swiftly accepted and the player was off to the Premier League.

Following his excellent performances north of the border, it looked like the club had lost a player who could have been a feature in the Gers backline for years to come.

His move to England soon turned into a nightmare, however, playing just 59 times for the club before moving to Juventus.

The 27-cap Frenchman even featured in a list of the worst Premier League players of all time, ranking in 17^th place.

Making an £8m profit on a player who had joined just six months previously was an excellent piece of business by McLeish, although he might have had a better career had he stayed in Glasgow, even just for another few years.

There is no doubt his career stagnated once he left Rangers, and with his potential, he might have made more than 27 appearances for France.

Boumsong still ranks in the top ten of highest transfer fees received by the club (5^th) and it was a rare McLeish masterclass.