Rangers drag John Souttar down as new contract developments emerge – Exclusive
John Souttar did not enjoy his finest season as a Rangers player in 2024-25, though not many can boast about doing so.
The defender started 24 of Rangers‘ 33 Scottish Premiership fixtures, with the Light Blues falling well short of the standards expected.
Souttar was guilty of some sloppy errors towards the end of the campaign, with Chris Sutton slamming him over one particular mistake.
However, Souttar also produced some excellent displays for club and country, including in Scotland’s most recent fixtures.
Souttar contract situation delicate at Rangers
Souttar is about to enter the final year of his Ibrox contract, and there have been suggestions he could be sold if fresh terms are not agreed.
Rangers may well be looking for a new centre-back this summer, but the 28-year-old has done enough this season to prove he’s good enough to start regularly next time around.
That is the view of Rangers-mad pundit Derek Ferguson, who exclusively told Ibrox News he believes others are to blame for dragging Souttar’s standards down this season.
“Yeah I think he’s showed he’s good enough to be a regular next season,” Ferguson said. “He’s had some poor games but he’s showed overall, when fit and healthy, that he’s a top player.
“He’s a defender with pace, at a good age, hopefully he’s clear of injuries – it’s a no-brainer.
“James Tavernier played alongside him for a bit but is not a centre-back, and Barry [Ferguson] tinkered with the defence, so it can be unnerving for a player. The new manager coming in will have a settled defence.
“I’d be a nervous wreck playing alongside the likes of Robin Propper. Ridvan Yilmaz has contributed little and is injury-prone.
“It can happen. It happened at Motherwell with Lennon Miller, who’s been dragged down. That’s what’s happening with Souttar.”
Rangers needs to find a new defensive partner for Souttar
As Ferguson says, there was a fair bit of tinkering this past season and that would not have helped Souttar when he was fit and available.
| John Souttar | |
| Games played | 24 |
| Games started | 24 |
| Minutes | 2,119 |
Souttar started alongside Leon Balogun in the 2-2 draw with Hibernian on the final day. However, Balogun may well be on his way out of Rangers this summer.
Others, such as the aforementioned Propper, are just simply not good enough to be relied upon.
Bringing in another centre-back is therefore surely high on the list of priorities for the Gers in the summer transfer window.