Rangers: Journalist provides stance on John Souttar transfer

The Scotsman writer Joel Sked believes Rangers’ acquisition of centre-back John Souttar on a free transfer was “an absolute no-brainer”.

The Gers signed the centre-back on a pre-contract agreement back in January, and although they wished to bring him to the club during that same window, Hearts stood firm and were unwilling to sell the 6ft 1in defender.

Souttar’s last game for the Jambos actually came against Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side in the Scottish Cup final where they lost 2-0, but he was instrumental in Edinburgh throughout the last campaign, leading the side with an average match rating of 7.3 (as per SofaScore).

The Scotland international missed 14 games through injury this season, including eight between March and May with a recurring Achilles problem, but Sked insists that the 25-year-old could be a shoo-in at Ibrox next term.

Speaking on the Rangers Review podcast, he said: “He’s got technical qualities, mental qualities, the physical qualities, and he’s got so much experience in this league that you could just drop him in to the Rangers starting XI first game of the season and he’ll be absolutely fine. So it was an absolute no-brainer.”

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TIF Thoughts on Souttar and Rangers…

With the recent announcement that Connor Goldson has signed a four-year contract extension, Rangers fans will be happy that they have a solid platform as Giovanni van Bronckhorst attempts to launch a bid to regain the Scottish Premiership title. 

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Souttar’s 1.2 interceptions per game this past season was three times the output of Goldson, while his four clearances per 90 minutes was also better than Goldson (3.3) and Leon Balogun (3), with the latter’s future still undecided as his contract recently expired.

Securing a Team of the Season representative on a free transfer most certainly seems like a “no-brainer” for the Gers and Souttar could well be a mainstay at the heart of their defence for seasons to come.