Souttar to snub Rangers – Craig Moore
Rangers will miss out on Hearts defender John Souttar in favour of an English club, Craig Moore told The Go Radio Football Show as quoted by Football Scotland.
The former Rangers captain would love to see the Scotland international move to Ibrox but thinks the opportunities available across the border will be too tempting.
The Australian sees a move to England as a path to the Premier League which will lead to disappointment for Gers.
Moore said: “I believe the player will end up going down south just because of the shop window and, potentially, the finances.
“Say it’s a Championship side, Sheffield United say, all of a sudden you have a great second half of the season and, at 25-26, you’ve got Premier League clubs that want to spend 10, 15, 20 million on you.”
Out of reach?
It makes a lot of sense for Rangers to bring in the Hearts defender if they have the chance after reportedly making a move to sign him [Glasgow Times].
Having overcome a succession of injuries to get into the Scotland squad under Steve Clarke and have interest from a number of clubs says a lot about the defender.
And with the futures of players like Connor Goldson and Niko Katic up in the air, the Glasgow side would certainly benefit from the stability that his arrival would provide.
Manager Giovanni Van Bronckhorst may attempt to head off clubs interested in a free transfer by offering some of the money brought in by the Nathan Patterson sale but Moore’s logic suggests that may be in vain.
The money on offer in English football, in the Championship but especially in the Premier League, leaves clubs in leagues all over the world unable to compete.
And at this stage of Souttar’s career, and with the knowledge of the injury problems he has had in the past, he may feel that now is the only opportunity he will get to reach that level.
In other Rangers news, this Ibrox youngster is reportedly in high demand.