Leon Balogun form with QPR is enough to fill Rangers with regret
Leon Balogun is showing Rangers exactly what they’re missing with the defender shining at QPR after being released at Ibrox.
Balogun spent two seasons at Ibrox and left with a league title as well as a Scottish Cup medal and a Europa League runners-up medal.
The 34-year-old was a major part of the Gers back line during his time in Glasgow, but Giovanni van Bronckhorst deemed him unnecessary in the summer and decided against offering him a new contract.
It was a decision at the time that seemed baffling, and Rangers legend Ally McCoist recently suggested that he wasn’t “too sure” why the club let him go (BT Sport).
But Van Bronckhorst stuck by his decision, and Balogun eventually ended up signing a one-year deal with Championship side QPR.
To put it plainly – Balogun has been mountainous for R’s since his move, and Michael Beale’s side currently sit up in fourth with 21 points from 12 games.
Balogun has only been able to feature in five of those games, but has immediately made himself a starter at the London club.
During those five appearances, QPR have conceded twice. Balogun has been an excellent signing, and he’s made Rangers looks silly for letting him leave for free.
It only gets worse once you factor in Rangers’ form back in Glasgow. Van Bronckhorst’s side may sit second in the table, but their Champions League campaign has gone terribly and the defence has frequently looked fragile and unorganised.
The decision to release Balogun must be one that has often flooded Van Bronckhorst’s mind, and if the Dutchman is ever relieved of his job – it’d be up there among his biggest regrets.
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