Kris Commons delivers verdict on John Souttar – Rangers deal
Kris Commons has suggested that John Souttar finds himself in “impossible situation” at the moment after Rangers have agreed a pre-contract deal with the Hearts defender.
He has a contract at Hearts till the end of the season, and it remains to be seen if Rangers look to bring him to Ibrox this month, instead of waiting for him till summer.
Hearts are expected to demand a significant transfer fee. Commons says that the situation is “very messy” at the moment.
Commons wrote for the Scottish Mail (printed edition; page 11): “With Souttar signing a pre-contract with Rangers in January and the situation being made public, he finds himself in an impossible situation.
“If Hearts stick to their guns and he remains at Tynecastle until the end of the season, the slightest error will be magnified and presented as evidence he’s no longer fully committed.
“A simpler solution might be not to make it public. If Rangers hadn’t let the cat out of the bag, Hearts wouldn’t have responded. You can’t prevent people speculating but, without official confirmation, there’s just not the same degree of scrutiny. Rangers’ statement has changed all of that.”
Interesting situation
Rangers should be looking to sign him this month.
The Gers have money to spend this month following the sale of Nathan Patterson who joined Everton on a club-record transfer fee in January.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst needs to add depth in defence, and Souttar would be a good addition.
Moreover, his signing could help Rangers cash in on Connor Goldson this month, if there’s an offer on the table from English clubs.
At the moment, it’s win-win situation for the Gers. They are in no rush in bring him to Ibrox and could offer a paltry fee towards the end of the month to force Hearts into selling him.
Souttar is reportedly getting stick from the fans for signing an agreement with Rangers. Any lapse in performance could see fans questioning his commitment which isn’t ideal for any player.
Rangers will kick-start their league campaign after the winter break when they face Aberdeen on Tuesday at away from Ibrox.
In other Rangers news, an official club partner has fired back at Tom English after his latest bitter jibe at the Bears