Report – Injured Rangers player set to leave Ibrox for free at end of season
Rangers goalkeeper Jak Alnwick has been in impressive form since joining English League One side Blackpool this season.
The 26-year-old has established himself as a mainstay at Bloomfield Road, recording seven clean sheets in 22 league appearances for the Tangerines this season, as per Transfermarkt.
But his progress has been halted somewhat by the news that he will be sidelines for around 12 weeks with an arm injury sustained in the Boxing Day defeat to Accrington Stanley, as confirmed by the club themselves.
And according to Football Insider, the injury could have big implications for his future further down the line.
A report from the outlet states that talks had been opened between Blackpool and the Gers over the possibility of making his loan move south of the border permanent.
But the chances of that happening have been dashed by this latest setback.
As a result, Alnwick will likely leave Ibrox for nothing at the end of the season, with a club source reportedly claiming that he has played his last match for the Bears.
This news is, therefore, a real blow for both the club and the player.
From Rangers’ perspective, they look set to miss out on a fee for a player who clearly has no future in Glasgow, even if the transfer would likely have been a cheap one.
Similarly, they will have to keep Alnwick on the wage bill for a while longer, rather than being able to get things done and dusted next month.
From the player’s point of view, nobody likes being injured at the best of times, but he has clearly settled well at Blackpool, drawing big praise from manager Simon Grayson [Blackpool Gazette], and this could derail any hopes of him making his move to Bloomfield Road permanent.
Sure, he’ll be free to go wherever he likes come the end of the campaign, but will the Tangerines hang around that long for him? Only time will tell.
In other news, ‘Unbelievable’ – Alan Hutton hails ‘sensational’ Rangers ace after ‘poor’ Ibrox start.