Jack Butland will be furious as Rangers make key transfer decision
Jack Butland has been one of the stars of Rangers’ Champions League qualifying campaign so far.
The shot stopper had a mercifully quiet night in the first leg against Viktoria Plzen on Tuesday (5 August), but his side would arguably already be out of the competition, were it not for his exploits in the previous round.
Butland was excellent as Rangers withstood heavy pressure in their second leg against Panathinaikos, and the 32-year-old made some outstanding stops across both games to keep the Greeks at bay.
He has been in fantastic form under Russell Martin so far and appears to be getting back to his best, but he may now be left with a feeling of betrayal from the boss.
Butland has every right to be fuming as Rangers eye Karl Hein deal
Butland’s future at Rangers has been fraught with speculation this summer, with the expectation that Martin would want a goalkeeper with a little more capability with the ball at his feet, to aid his expansive style of football.
However, there had seemingly been little intention for the Govan outfit to move for a new gloveman before their return to competitive action, and the former Stoke City man has since excelled.
- Butland struggled at times for Rangers last season, and ultimately lost his place to Liam Kelly
- However, he has been excellent in their Champions League qualifying campaign
- His performances against Panathinaikos should have been rewarded by Martin showing faith in him
He has surely proven his worth to Martin through his performances in Champions League qualifying, and he helped get his side off the hook after a couple of largely concerning displays against Panathinaikos.
And yet, it has now emerged from Ibrox that the Gers have joined the race to sign young Arsenal ‘keeper Karl Hein, according to journalist Dominik Schneider (6 August).
The Estonian was unable to prevent Real Valladolid from finishing bottom of La Liga during a loan spell last time out, and has considerably less pedigree than the current number one.
The link would be completely understandable if Butland had cost Rangers in the opening few games of the season, but after his heroics in Europe, he has every right to be incensed by the news that he could seemingly be about to be replaced.
Butland should keep his place regardless of Hein pursuit
Butland struggled at times for Rangers last season, and ultimately lost his place, but those performances must be tempered a little by the fact that he had a largely dysfunctional defence in front of him.
The Englishman looks to be back to his best form in the opening stages of the new campaign, and his reward simply should not be losing his place in the side.
| Stats | Butland (Premiership) | Hein (La Liga) |
| Clean Sheets | 10 (3rd) | 5 (=18th) |
| Save Percentage | 66.3% (7th) | 58.5% (20th) |
| Saves per 90 | 2.2 (11th) | 3.1 (5th) |
| Goals Prevented | -2.2 (10th) | -8.2 (20th) |
| Goals Conceded per 90 | 1.1 (=2nd) | 2.2 (20th) |
Hein is a promising young goalkeeper, and if he is being targeted with a view to learning from the veteran and potentially taking his shirt in a few years, then it could be a sensible option for the Gers.
However, if the intention is to bring him in to replace Butland, then Martin may well find himself angering one of the most senior figures in his squad.
The Rangers number one certainly has his flaws, but he deserves better than to be replaced at the earliest opportunity.
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