Confirmed – Rangers defender signs new deal at Ibrox
Rangers defender Leon King has put pen to paper on a professional contract at the club.
The Gers confirmed the news via their official website on Friday morning.
The teenage prospect had been attracting attention from a number of high profile European clubs earlier in the year as uncertainty surrounded whether or not he would sign a professional contract at Ibrox, as per Football Insider.
The same outlet reported earlier in the week that the Gers had finally reached a breakthrough in their efforts to secure King’s long term future at the club, and had offered improved terms in a bid to do so.
And that breakthrough has now come to fruition, with the 16-year-old agreeing to a deal that will keep him in Glasgow until at least 2022.
How positive is this for Rangers?
Extremely, there’s no doubt about it.
We all remember what happened with young Billy Gilmour leaving for Chelsea in 2017, and after his barnstorming outing against Liverpool in the FA Cup earlier this week, it genuinely looks as if the world is his oyster.
But while Gilmour deserves plenty of congratulations, we do not want another repeat of that with King.
The 16-year-old may not have an awful lot of evidence in terms of what he is capable of, as you would expect from a player his age, but the rumblings surrounding him are hugely promising.
Ex-Ibrox hero Alan Hutton has already described him as “exceptional”, and his showings for Scotland U17s have been superlative.
Last October, King earned two caps for the national side’s youth system, and looked irresistible, averaging a pass completion rate of 91.1%, winning 100% of his aerial duels, and 85.7% of his defensive duels, as per Wyscout.
As a point of reference, senior stalwart Connor Goldson has averaged 85.2%, 65.3%, and 69.3% in those three areas respectively this season, as per Wyscout.
He may be young, but make no mistake, King’s potential borders on limitless.
In other Rangers news, Confirmed – Gerrard issues triple Gers injury update ahead of clash v Ross County.