Rangers in rare transfer blow as Ibrox-linked Auston Trusty heads elsewhere for millions
Rangers have suffered a significant but rare transfer blow after losing out on defensive target Auston Trusty to Premier League side Sheffield United.
The Athletic reported (1 August) that the Arsenal man is set to join the Blades permanently for £5million following an exceptional spell in the Championship with Birmingham City last season, with Rangers tracking the 24-year-old for some time.
This represents a real setback for Rangers in an otherwise exceptional transfer window. Having brought in eight first-team players including Danilo and Cyriel Dessers, Gers fans have been treated to a true rebuild under Michael Beale this summer, but the defence was an area that has been looked at.
Beale had reportedly “long craved” Trusty, but transfer negotiations had stalled after both clubs could not come to an agreement over a fee [Scottish Mail]. Trusty was a top target but he fell through Beale’s fingers. Now he looks set to help the Blades’ survival push following promotion back to the Premier League.
Trusty proved himself to be a quality left-sided centre-back at Birmingham last season which helped him earn his first full international call-up for the US men’s side last season.
Rangers still have a centre-back issue to address, and the free signing of 35-year-old Leon Balogun is not seen as the long-term fix here. While Balogun will provide experience and cover in this position, the prospect of having such a high-potential young player like Trusty in the squad would have been exciting to Gers fans.
The American showed his talent in the Championship last season which showed he is more than capable of being a regular at Ibrox. His 2.32 tackles per 90 (96th percentile) and 1.88 blocks per 90 (98th percentile) show his quality at the defensive basics, but his 0.89 progressive carries (81st percentile) and 1.22 progressive passes received (95 percentile) [FBRef] show that he can have an impact on his sides’ attack.
While Rangers fans will be upset to miss out on Trusty’s signature, this blow should not take away from their quality window. It is always tough to compete with Premier League sides for transfer and Trusty would likely have been assured plenty of game time at Bramall Lane and perhaps a higher wage.
That being said, the final £5million fee would have been an achievable price for Beale’s side and the prospect of European football and playing for a huge club like Rangers perhaps could have been used as a selling point more to sign Trusty.
However, conjecture is pointless now that Trusty is unavailable. A new centre-back option should be assessed by Rangers before the window closes, but the Ibrox faithful will be confident of having a quality season if this window is anything to go by.
In other Rangers news, the club could announce their ninth summer signing before Wednesday according to reports.