David Tanner hits out at ‘beyond nonsensical’ John Souttar claim as Rangers close in on deal
Rangers are closing in on a new head coach, and the squad quality may be better than their results this season suggest.
Russell Martin contributed to the underperformance of Rangers players this season, as the drop off in form from last season is clear to see.
Rangers spent £20million-plus in the summer transfer window, and the new head coach – likely to be Steven Gerrard – has simply got to improve the performances of new signings.
Gerrard is the favourite for the Rangers job, with the Gers seemingly closing in on a deal, and he will almost certainly raise performance levels.
David Tanner hits back at John Souttar criticism
Centre-back John Souttar has been criticised in the past for his performances at Rangers, but TV and radio reporter David Tanner has backed the centre-back on X to play a big part under Gerrard.
- Souttar has played 16 times for Rangers this campaign
- He has had injury problems at Ibrox in the past
- The Scot is entering the final year of his Rangers contract
“For all the understandable doom and gloom about the mess the next Rangers manager will have to clean up, the all-important spine of the team is in good health. Butland; Souttar; Raskin; Miovski is an excellent foundation on which to build,” he posted on his official X account.
A fan responded to that: “Souttar should be nowhere near. An absolute bomb scare.”
Tanner clapped back: “That’s beyond nonsensical. He’s a terrific footballer who was hung out to dry this season.”
Rangers have a few options at the back in Derek Cornelius, Clinton Nsiala, and Nasser Djiga, but Souttar is the most reliable.
If Gerrard were to walk back through the doors at Rangers’ training centre, there’s no doubt that Souttar will be one of the first names he’ll consider for his first starting line-up.
Souttar could be key for Rangers and Steven Gerrard
Rangers have obviously had a torrid start to the season, but thankfully, there is still time to salvage something with the club still in the Premier Sports Cup Semi-final and the Europa League.
Gerrard will have two things on his mind; getting Rangers playing well again, and winning a trophy.
| Games | Clean sheets | Average rating |
| 24 | 10 | 7.28 |
To do that, Gerrard is going to need a solid foundation. You could mention the likes of Jack Butland and James Tavernier, but Souttar also falls in that bracket of core players, like Tanner mentioned.
Souttar can perform in big games; we’ve seen it before. It may just take Gerrard’s arrival to raise his levels again this season.
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