Former Ibrox chief reveals reality behind old Joey Veerman Rangers rumour
Former Rangers head of communications David Graham has revealed that Joey Veerman was “probably never an option” for the club, despite the Dutch midfielder being heavily linked with a move to Ibrox during Steven Gerrard’s reign.
Veerman emerged as a prominent Rangers transfer rumour in the summer of 2021, with reports suggesting the club were interested in bringing then-Heerenveen midfielder to Glasgow.
But Graham, who was the head of Rangers’ communications department between 2020 and 2022, has now offered a very different insight into the speculation.
David Graham shuts down old Joey Veerman Rangers links
Speaking on the Heart & Hand Podcast's daily update earlier this week, Graham used Veerman as an example of how a transfer rumour can become established among supporters despite the player not actually being a genuine target.
“Every single [transfer] deal will be different. And I think even the Lawrence Shankland deal early in the summer is a prime example where, it was almost joked that Lawrence Shankland was almost sitting in his car outside Ibrox on the basis that someone might say, ‘Oh, you fancy signing?’ And then this year it seemed to happen really quickly,” he said.
“So that becomes frustrating, because every football club is linked with literally hundreds of players in a transfer window.”
“Joey Veerman's a prime example, Joey Veerman ends up being almost this, ‘When are we signing Veerman?’
“But, I mean, I can categorically say now that was probably never an option for us, and I can say that having been inside the tent at the time.”
The Veerman to Ibrox story
The timing of Graham's comments is particularly notable given the period in which the speculation emerged.
Veerman was being linked with Rangers in 2021, when Liverpool icon Gerrard was in charge and Rangers were looking to build on their historic 2020/21 unbeaten Scottish Premiership title win.
The midfielder ultimately signed with PSV six months later in January, meaning the transfer talk surrounding a potential move to Ibrox never materialised into a deal, with the midfielder losing out to Giovanni Van Bronckhorst’s Rangers side in the 2022 UEFA Champions’ League playoffs before gaining revenge against Michael Beale’s light blues a year later.
Veerman slams Ibrox side
There was no love lost between player and Ibrox club after the first encounter with Veerman saying following his side’s 1-0 second leg defeat in Eindhoven that: "I don't think it's fair that Rangers play Champions League and we don't. I don't think they created a single chance here."
Graham's comments provide an insight into how quickly a reported target can become accepted as a near-certainty among supporters.
Rather than Rangers actively pursuing Veerman, the former communications chief claims the player was “probably never an option” based on his experience inside the club at the time.
He also believes that transfer speculation becomes particularly intense when Rangers make an inconsistent start to a season, with supporters naturally looking towards recruitment for an immediate solution.
“So, it becomes a very frustrating strategic position. Fans are very impatient, and I think because of our, let's call it, inconsistent start to the seasons we see new signings as a silver bullet to make things better,” he continued.
For Rangers supporters who remember Veerman as one of the names repeatedly linked with Ibrox during the Gerrard era, Graham's intervention offers a stark reminder that not every widely reported transfer target was necessarily being considered by the club.
