Michael Ball watched with frustration as Kieran Dowell found his Goodison pathway blocked by a succession of big-money flops.
But the former Everton and Rangers ace reckons the former Toffees kid is just what Michael Beale needs to put his Ibrox side back on the road to recovery. The out-of contract Norwich ace is close to finalising a summer switch to Glasgow having shaken hands on a three-year Gers deal. And retired Light Blues hero Ball is confident the 25-year-old playmaker will prove to be right up the Ibrox faithful’s street now he's finally been given the chance to shine.
Although highly-rated as he made his way through the Everton youth ranks, Dowell found the route to a regular first-team slot on Merseyside closed off as new owner Farhad Moshiri pursued a new policy of chasing expensive, high-profile recruits. There’s not been much return on that costly outlay in the years since with Sean Dyche’s side now relegation-threatened outfit desperately searching for an avenue of escape from the Premier League drop zone.
That’s not Dowell’s concern any longer and Ball is just glad to see the ex-England youth international heading in the right direction after taking his Carrow Road diversion “It’s a huge opportunity for Kieran to step up and show he can play for a huge club like Rangers,” the former England defender told Record Sport.
“He deserves his chance having racked up a number of successful loans while at Everton. He should have got more games at Goodison had Everton not wasted so much cash bringing in big players under the new owner.
“Before Moshiri came to the club, Everton were successful in promoting youngsters into the first team. Kieran was among a long list of lads that the academy staff were very excited about. Players like Kieran and Antonee Robinson were expected to play a big part for the first team.
“But then Moshiri changed the philosophy of the club and Kieran found his pathway blocked. All of a sudden Everton were splashing the cash - but most of it was wasted.
“We bought Gylfi Sigurdsson for £40million, gave James Rodriguez £200,000-a-week, brought Wayne Rooney back and signed guys like Alex Iwobi and Davy Klaassen. Everton were the only club I’ve ever known to sign three No.10s in one window!
“That obviously is going to halt any progression for players like Kieran Dowell. Would he have been good enough for the club at the time? No-one knows because he didn’t get the chance.
“The club must have believed in him, though, as they gave him a long contract. He was sent out on loan to gain experience in the Championship but the reports coming back were always positive.
“He went to Nottingham Forest and they were keen to keep him. Everton didn’t want to sell at that stage and he went on a few more loans but ultimately Kieran decided it just wasn’t going to happen for him at Goodison and he had to move on to get the games he needed.
“But he’s now getting that reward with this move to Rangers on the horizon.”
The knee injury that has grounded that Canaries ace for the past two months will worry an Ibrox support who have seen far too many new arrivals touching down in Glasgow nursing pre-existing issues.
But Ball has no doubt the Bears will take to player who he sees hints of former England striker Teddy Sheringham in. He said: “It’ll be a great move for Kieran.
“He’s a talented boy. He’s a technical type who is very clever in the way he drops deep and finds space.
“He’s got an eye for goal too but he also likes to bring the players around him into play. The fact Rangers are coming in for him shows he’s been doing well for Norwich.
“He’s different to what Rangers have at the moment. Keiran’s not going to be like Ryan Kent and hang out wide. He reminds me a lot of Teddy Sheringham. He’s not going to score you 25 goals a season but where he’s effective is linking up with those around him.
“Looking at his attributes, it's like he’s got eight out of 10 for everything - a great touch, the awareness to find space and he can finish.”
Dowell and Crystal Palace keeper Jack Butland are set to be the first of as many as 12 new recruits joining Gers this summer. Having gone a year without a derby win against their Treble-chasing bitter rivals, the pressure will be on Beale’s new-look side to finally end Celtic’s run of domination.
“Is it a step up for him in terms of the level? Possibly,” admitted Ball, an SPL and League winner with Alex McLeish Light Blues back in 2005. We all know that playing for Rangers, you’re judged on what you do in the big games.
“So the question is does he have the temperament for that and I think he has. I don’t see much fazing him, he’s got a lot of belief in his ability.
“But he’s a guy who is a team player and he will need players around him who will complement his game as much as he will theirs. He’s not a guy who will run past five players and stick it in the top corner but he does have the technical ability to hurt teams. The fact he should have an understanding with Todd Cantwell from their time at Norwich should help too.
“It’s been a disappointing season for Rangers and the need now is to recruit quality players - and Kieran is certainly that. For me this is a step in the right direction for Michael Beale.”
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