The conversation had mixed emotions for Issame Charai. Before he sat down with Tuur Rommens, he knew what the outcome would be.
On a professional level, the Westerlo boss wanted the best for his team and hoped a key member of it would remain for the second half of the season. On a personal level, the former Rangers coach could not begrudge a young man the opportunity to move to Ibrox and to challenge for the Premiership title this term.
Charai has spent recent months developing Rommens as a left-back and seeing him evolve as a leader. It has been a mixed campaign for the coach, who was assistant to Philippe Clement and then Barry Ferguson last season at Rangers, with his Westerlo side sitting tenth in the Belgian Pro League.
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Rommens has been one of the standout performers. At 22, Charai knew it was only a matter of time before admiring glances turned into concrete offers. A £3million move to Ibrox has now been clinched and Rommens has left with the blessing and backing of his mentor.
“Yes, it's very difficult because, of course, Tuur was an important player for us,” Charai tells the Rangers Review. “The whole season, he has been a starting player; he is a player who played a lot of minutes also last season but he's been wonderful at the club. He's young, he's progressing, there's been a lot of interest from him and he stayed previously, so that was good.
“When the interest from Rangers came we had a chat also and he asked me about the club. I said, of course, I know the club and it's a wonderful club, it's really a wonderful club, a wonderful city. I also understand that the player has ambition and that he wants to take the next step and Rangers is a great fit for him.
“I told him it's a massive club, you'll notice directly when you play your first home game that there's quite a lot of pressure to win games. But, you know, the thing I like about Tuur, and that's why I would say he's really a Rangers player, is he is the kind of player that will always, always go for every ball.
“He's a fighter and a good player, but also somebody who's always going to be going up and down the pitch. It is the kind of player that the fans will love to see at Rangers. I'm certain that it's going to be a great fit.”
The arrival of Rommens addresses one of the priority areas that Danny Rohl had identified ahead of the January transfer window. A three-and-a-half-year deal is a sign of the faith that Rangers have in Rommens for the long-term but he will be required to contribute here and now as Rohl looks to deliver the Premiership title in the coming months.
Jayden Meghoma has been the only recognised left-back in the squad since the summer departures of Jefte, Ridvan Yilmaz and Robbie Fraser. In Rommens, Charai is sure Rangers have a player who is up to the task in Scottish football.
“He goes on the pitch, he works very hard and he has the qualities,” Charai says. “And also, physically, he's very strong.
“He was physically one of the best players in our squad, so he can play two games a week if he wants. I know the league, it's not an easy league to play in. Certainly, if you see that most of the teams when they play against Rangers, it's completely different.
“They want to win, it's their game of the year, so they want to win that game. They're always very, very motivated to win against Rangers. Tuur is the kind of player who will be a good fit. He's young, he's a left-footer, and he's quite tall.
“You have to be strong to play in the Scottish league because it's quite demanding physically. I noticed when I came to the club, I saw a lot of that impact in the games. Tuur has this running ability too.
“He can win duels, he can run, he can pass the ball well, he has a good left foot, a good cross. All those things make him a very interesting player. Also, you'll see him get into the box as well as defending his own box. So, he's a kind of player who brings a lot of energy with his play. I know that they will love to see that at Rangers.”
The physical and technical boxes are just two of many that need to be ticked before pen is put to paper on any deal for a Rangers recruit. The main one, arguably, is mentality and players that cannot handle the demands and expectations of life at Ibrox are destined to fail before a ball is kicked.
Rommens is not, at this stage, a player who offers regular rallying cries behind the scenes. When he speaks, people listen. When he performs, he takes others with him.
“He’s quite composed,” Charai adds. “He is a a guy that, I always say, has not too many words. A great guy. Really, a great guy. He's the kind of guy who leads by example. But in the group, you won't hear him a lot.
“He's not somebody that's going to be very, very vocal. But when he has to say something, he will say it. So, he has character. And that's really important in a team.
“Tuur is somebody who knows what he can do. He won't be afraid to say something; he has character, he says what he thinks and we have had some great times together.
“At Westerlo, we had a lot of individual development programmes that I did with the players. And every time, it was really, really interesting to work with him.
“There's been a lot of games that stand out. But the last game that we won, he came back from injury and played the second half when we beat Anderlecht 4-0. So, that was a great performance, but also his recent performance against Genk, a game which we normally we should have won if we didn't have a red card. Against Club Brugge, we drew 5-5 shortly after their 6-0 win against Rangers. Tuur played a wonderful game that day."
Rommens has represented Belgium at four youth levels and has nine caps for the Under-21 side that is managed by Gill Swerts.
One of his compatriots, Nico Raskin, will be World Cup-bound with the Red Devils this summer. That ambition may be beyond Rommens right now, but a move into Rudi Garcia’s full squad will be his next target at the international level. Before then, he has a title to win.
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Charai continues on the prospect of a national team call-up: “Absolutely, if you see the left-backs that were in Westerlo, you had Maxim de Cuyper, who went to Brighton now. Then you had Jordan Bos, who went to Feyenoord.
“And now, Tuur, who is going to Rangers. So, you can see that the next step would be to get to the national team like Nico. He's young, and he still has a lot of room for improvement.
“He still has a lot of progress to do. But for sure, you don't find many full-backs with his qualities. So, you might see him going to the first team. Why not?
“I still have contacts with some players at Rangers, like Nico, like Nedim [Bajrami]. We still text each other. There are still a lot of players there, even people from the staff. I still have a lot of contact with them.
“You know the thing is, once you've been in the club like Rangers, you feel like it's a family. So, you follow the games. You follow everything, that's normal.”
Charai has been more encouraged of late when checking in on the fortunes of his former club. His time at Ibrox was short-lived, but Rangers has left a mark on the Belgian boss.
It remains to be seen if Rohl can finish what he has started this season and take Rangers over the finishing line. A Premiership medal would be a quickfire way for Rommens to justify his move and give his former coach a reason to smile once again.
“Yeah, they've put themselves in a better position,” Charai said. “Because this season was difficult at the start, with some results that were not really for Rangers.
“And I think also the coach is doing a great job. Step by step, they're getting back to some stability, getting results as it should be at Rangers.
“Of course, Rangers should always play for the title. That's why you go to Rangers. And I said also to Tuur, if you go to Rangers, it's to play for titles.
“That was also my reasoning when Philippe [Clement] called me and I went to Rangers. It's to play for titles. They should always have that ambition.
“But the beginning of the season was not easy. So, they're coming back to the level [that's expected] and I'm really happy for them."
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