While Rangers did manage to secure one Deadline Day signing in the form of Aaron Ramsey, they were trying up until the last minute to bring in John Souttar, but to no avail, according to Football Scotland.
Souttar was clearly a target all month for Rangers, with the Ibrox club seeing several bids for him rejected.
The Hearts defender has already signed a pre-contract agreement with the Gers, however, Giovanni van Bronckhorst was desperate to land him in January.
Despite going all out on the big-name signing of Ramsey, the Rangers board were seemingly unwilling to match Hearts’ valuation of £500,000 for Souttar, despite lodging a £400,000 bid on Deadline Day.
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There is every reason for Van Bronckhorst to be annoyed at his board given the difference in meeting the valuation was so small and could’ve ultimately cost the club millions. Souttar’s arrival could’ve triggered an exit for Connor Goldson, who was tipped for an Ibrox exit if the Gers could’ve recruited a replacement, but now they look set to lose him for nothing in the summer.
Souttar singing could’ve saved Rangers millions
Goldson had plenty of potential suitors given his consistent and regular performances across all competitions, not to mention he is more than a threat in the opposition’s box, with 18 goals during his time with Rangers, something which is gold dust for a centre back.
And amid the uncertainty over his future, former Gers boss Alex McLeish had previously valued Goldson as high as £50m.
It’s been reported by Fabrizio Romano that while Rangers don’t have an option to buy in Ramsey’s loan deal, they will be given first refusal when it comes to negotiating a deal for the midfielder, so any money recouped for Goldson could have gone towards a big push to sign the Welsh international on a permanent basis.
Goldson has so far made the most appearances out of anyone in the Rangers side this season, so seeing him leave would’ve been crushing for the club and fans, however, if they replaced him with someone of Souttar’s experience in the league from a high-flying Hearts side, it could’ve been a shrewd piece of business given Goldson is 29 years old, whereas Souttar is just 25, so he certainly has more room for growth and development.
Van Bronckhorst knew a centre-back was needed
While Rangers have a solid centre-back in the form of Goldson, beyond him, it appears to be like a lottery in terms of who starts alongside him. Having featured 36 times this season, the next closest centre-back to Goldson’s appearance tally is Leon Balogun, who’s featured 20 times.
Therefore, while Souttar may not be a huge name that would have grabbed headlines across Scotland, it would have added competition, depth and someone who could be a steady partner alongside another centre-back and potentially have convinced Goldson to extend his deal if he knew he’d have a solid partner next to him.
The need for a centre-back was only highlighted during the latest Old Firm clash which saw Rangers demolished 3-0 by Celtic, and it could well have been more if it wasn’t for Allan McGregor, who pulled off four saves during the match.
It’s clear to see why Van Bronckhorst was really keen on landing Souttar this month, as the finances were very small, while when comparing Goldson and Souttar on WhoScored, they are very similar in a lot of areas, with the pair being dribbled past just 0.2 times per game, average 1.1 and 1 tackles per game respectively, have scored five goals between them this season and are also comfortable on the ball, as displayed by picking out 0.7 and 0.4 key passes per game in the league respectively.
After the humiliating defeat on Wednesday evening, the deal to not land Souttar and either recoup the money or prove to Goldson it’s worth signing a contract and staying for a few more years could well be the difference between finishing top or runners-up this season.
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