Kris Boyd shares which Rangers players he would keep after Chris Sutton grilling
Kris Boyd has named which Rangers players he would keep at Ibrox for next season after being grilled by Chris Sutton live on Sky Sports.
Celtic are on the verge of winning a 12th league title in 13 seasons after their Old Firm win on Saturday 11 May, which has led to manager Philippe Clement declaring there will be an overhaul of the squad this summer.
Boyd called for a clearout following that Old Firm clash and when discussing the squad situation heading into the summer before the 5-2 win over Dundee (14 May), Sutton brazenly asked him to name the players he would keep at the club which Boyd obliged with after some initial hesitation.
“Butland is obviously one,” he said. “Diomande, yes, Raskin I think yes.
“Tavernier you wouldn’t want to lose but the reality is he might have to go. Sterling you don’t want to lose. Goldson is another one where, I know he’s injured, but he was dropped as well. You’ve got somebody who’s one of your highest earners who’s not playing.
“I think in an ideal world Philippe Clement would want a blank canvas to build his squad from again, but he’s not going to get that.
“At the end of the day, I’m not the one sitting there with a finance book saying he’s on this, he’s on that. It’s very difficult to put forward a case to keep many because, you’ve won a cup, but this club is built on winning league championships.”
Only Jack Butland should be considered safe at Rangers next season
There are clearly players who should be top of the list when it comes to which players Clement should look to sell this summer, and some who are way down the list.
But aside from Jack Butland, who has been outstanding this season, there is nobody in the squad that you cannot make an argument for selling to help the potential growth.
Key players are getting on in age and are at a point in their contract where cashing in now could be the best option, while the injury situation means several squad players aren’t available consistently enough for them to be indispensable.
Obviously not every will leave, and Clement will have his favourites too, but Boyd is pretty spot on with this list that there are only a handful of players who should be assured of a spot next year.
There are going to be huge decisions to make at Ibrox this summer, and they simply can’t afford to get them wrong.
In other Rangers news, one Ibrox star has confirmed he will leave the club after the 5-2 win over Dundee.
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