Ex-Celtic star John Hartson says Aaron Ramsey was NEVER going to make the same impact as Paul Gascoigne or Brian Laudrup
JOHN HARTSON has blasted the hype surrounding Aaaron Ramsey's Rangers transfer, admitting he was never on the same level as Paul Gascoigne and Brian Laudrup.
The Welsh hero joined Rangers in a deadline day move which rocked the football world.
The transfer came out of nowhere and it was dubbed a blockbuster signing in the Scottish Premiership.
The midfielder joined on loan from Italian giants Juventus after failing to break into the Serie A side's starting 11 in the first half of the season.
He only managed a handful of appearances at the start of the campaign which left doubts over the 31-year-old's fitness.
But with over a decade at the top of the game at Arsenal in the Premier League, many believed he would still walk all over Scotland's top flight.
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He didn't hit the heights though and his time was hampered through injury.
And he will be remembered as the man who missed the crucial penalty in the Europa League final.
Ramsey ended his time at Ibrox with a Scottish Cup winners medal, but fellow countryman Hartson insists he always knew he would be a flop.
He told The Go Radio Football Show: "I wasn't particularly surprised.
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"He hadn't played a lot of football. Everybody thought, myself included, that he would have a bigger impact because of his previous FA Cup final goals at Arsenal and some of the things he has done for the national team.
"He clearly wasn't ready in terms of his fitness and wasn't up to speed. When he did play I thought he did OK. He got the goal at Ibrox in the 2-1 defeat (for Celtic).
"He scored a goal at Dundee, had a little run of games and then got injured in the Scottish Cup semi-final which kept him out again.
"I think it's probably more frustrating when it's topped off with that penalty miss as well in the final.
"I think he will have enjoyed his experience, getting to the final and obviously winning the Scottish Cup. But overall, I would have to say he never really got going or got any momentum."
Ramsey was compared to Rangers legends Paul Gascoigne and Brian Laudrup before he even laced his boots at Ibrox.
Despite his injury worries, he was hailed as the best signing since the pair graced the famous blue shirts.
But Hartson insists Ramsey could never compete with the best Gers of all time.
He added: "It just hasn't happened, and he's no Gascoigne, ok? He's no Gascoigne, at his best. He's no Laudrup at his best.
"I'm a huge fan of Aaron Ramsey and he's a fantastic player, but he's not a Paul Gascoigne. Come on.
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"It's like signing another fantastic centre-forward and saying he's as good as (Henrik) Larsson. No way. Kyogo would need to stay for the next seven or eight years and score 250 goals.
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"People tend to link players and day things for the sake of saying things."
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