Adefunmiloye Alani

Tue 17 August 2021 20:45, UK

Connor Goldson is in the final year of his Rangers contract, and Brian Laudrup believes uncertainty over his future could affect him.

The 28-year-old English centre-back joined the Ibrox outfit from Brighton and Hove Albion in the summer of 2018 and can reach an agreement with a foreign club in January.

Laudrup wants Rangers to reach a decision on Goldson’s future as soon as possible, and he has suggested that the defender and other players from England could feel they have accomplished their mission at the club after last season’s title triumph.

The former Light Blues star wrote in his Scottish Daily Mail column: “Goldson has been regarded as the best central defender at the club – rightly so, in my opinion – so why didn’t he sign a new contract months ago?

“All the noises have been very positive. Yet nothing has been confirmed. What’s the issue? It seems strange. I always think clarity is key for a player. Otherwise, performances can be affected. Uncertainty about your future can be such a corrosive thing for a footballer. And for a dressing room as a whole. I know that from the personal experience of my last year at Rangers.

“I don’t know Goldson personally or what’s in his mind just now but finalising his situation one way or the other would surely be best for all parties. There has to be an outcome soon. He hasn’t started the season in great form and maybe this issue has been a contributor.

“They came to Glasgow to try and put Rangers back on top. To stop Celtic and to win 55. Maybe for some of the players brought in – and I’m only speculating here – it now feels like mission completed.”

Another angle

Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has said on several occasions he wants Goldson to stay, and the centre-back has insisted he wants an extension too.

However, we are yet to see that happen.

After playing every minute of the Premiership season last term, a new deal with the defender should have been wrapped up before he entered the last 12 months of his contract.

Could agreeing the details and structure of improved and fresh terms be an issue between both parties?

Goldson deserves to be rewarded after his services over the last two seasons, but if clubs back home are speaking with his representatives, it could be tough for the Light Blues to get a deal done.

Premier League clubs will comfortably offer him more wages and probably a signing-on fee if he joins them as a free agent next summer.

Having gone a season without defeat and won the title, could Goldson be thinking about moving on?

A return to England would give him a realistic chance of playing for the Three Lions, and we do not think he would not be open to representing his country.

The Rangers ace could be keen to prove himself in the Premier League, and while we really hope we are wrong, the club might have left it too little too late to get him to sign a new deal.

In other Rangers news, Bears man drops six-word hint about Ibrox future on social media.