An update has emerged on Rangers’ pursuit of a centre-back signing to add to Gio van Bronckhorst’s squad at Ibrox…
What’s the talk?
According to the Daily Record, the Gers are set to intensify their interest in Hearts beast John Souttar and are poised to enter talks over a deal to sign him this month.
The report claims that the defender is considering offers from English Championship sides Sheffield United and Blackburn, but he wants to seal a move to Ibrox in January if he opts against a transfer south of the border.
Should Rangers sign Souttar?
Yes
No
Gio will love it
Van Bronckhorst will surely love this news as it shows that the club are serious about working to bring Souttar to the club this month. Rangers are prepared to firm up their interest and enter negotiations, in which they could attempt to persuade him to reject a transfer to England in favour of remaining in Scotland.
The Dutch head coach will be delighted with this as the defender has been in magnificent form for Hearts in the Premiership and could be a terrific signing for the Gers. He has averaged a brilliant SofaScore rating of 7.43 this season, showing that he is consistently delivering top-quality displays at this level.
Former Hearts boss Craig Levein once heaped praise on the defender, saying: “I’ve known him since he was 12 years old and he’s just got better and better. When he came here from Dundee Utd, we just needed to give him time. He’s grown into the player that I hoped he would be and for me he’s the best centre back in Scotland.
“Just for the fact that he can do wonderful things. His passing of the ball Saturday was fantastic, but he is also now capable physically of competing with any centre forward. His pace is very, very good and he’s strong, focused and aggressive.”
This suggests that his passing out from the back could suit the way Rangers want to play as they dominate possession, whilst his aforementioned statistics prove that he can defend his own goal. James Tavernier (7.87) is the only Gers player with a higher average rating than Souttar, suggesting that he could come in and be a key player for the club.
Therefore, van Bronckhorst will love Ross Wilson’s efforts to sign him in the coming weeks and, hopefully, they can get a deal over the line for him.
AND in other news, Imagine him and Morelos: GvB could form scary Rangers duo with 20 y/o “bag of tricks”…