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Phillipe Clement could be set for a major rebuilding job at Ibrox this summer
Glasgow Rangers face a busy summer at Ibrox which will be filled with plenty of incomings and outgoings as Philippe Clement aims to assert his own influence on the side.
The Belgian inherited a mixed bad of a squad from Michael Beale and while he has worked wonders with this group of players, recent weeks have begun to expose the Glasgow side’s fragilities.
This means a clear-out is required, especially as several of the senior players have failed to really cover themselves in glory since returning from the international break at the end of March.
John Lundstram hasn’t exactly been at his best as it appears he has eyes on a move away from Ibrox when his contract expires this summer, while James Tavernier hasn’t been the leader that Rangers have needed when the going got tough against Ross County and Dundee.
Tavernier will likely still be the captain next season, with Lundstram moving on to pastures new, but is it perhaps the future of Connor Goldson which is most debatable?
Why it could be the right time to sell Connor Goldson
The Englishman has been a rock at the heart of the Ibrox defence for over five years now, being reliable even among the worst injury crisis at the club.
This season, however, his form hasn’t quite been as good as in previous seasons. Could this be the beginning of his decline as a footballer?
He remained the first-choice centre-back during the early stages of the season under Beale, but the Light Blues suffered three Premiership defeats in their opening seven fixtures, making a title challenge seemingly impossible after just a few months.
Things began to turn under Clement as the 50-year-old coach steadied the ship, which saw the Gers grind out some vital results.
Goldson was still arguably the first name on the team sheet for the new boss, but his performances, particularly in recent weeks, have lacked some degree of leadership, with the odd mistake or two cropping into his game.
The defender has two years left on his contract, suggesting that this summer could be the ideal chance to move him on for a decent transfer fee.
Not only would this allow Clement to sell when it is clear he is approaching the final few years of his career, but it could also give him the licence to bring in someone much younger with a higher resale value. This, in turn, establishes a proper player trading programme at the club.
Additionally, the manager would also be freeing up a large chunk of the wage bill, as Goldson is currently the highest earner in the first team squad, earning £7k more per week than the next highest earner.
Connor Goldson’s wage at Rangers
The 31-year-old defender is currently earning £37k-per-week at Rangers, with Tavernier trailing him in second place, earning £30k-per-week.
Of course, these salaries are the two highest in the squad, but one player has constantly delivered throughout the 2023/24 campaign, while the other one has not.
| Connor Goldson’s Premiership stats since August 2022 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Metric | 2022/23 | 2023/24 |
| Accurate passes per game | 69.4 (89%) | 60.1 (86%) |
| Total duels won per game | 5.4 | 6.1 |
| Possession lost per game | 9.5 | 10.8 |
| Accurate long balls per game | 5.5 | 5.6 |
| Interceptions per game | 0.8 | 0.3 |
| Via Sofascore | ||
Tavernier has enjoyed the greatest goalscoring season of his career to date, finding the back of the net on 24 occasions across all competitions. With four matches remaining, all he needs is six goals to hit 30 goals in a single campaign.
For a right-back, these numbers are simply incredible. While many will debate that many of his goals come from penalties and free kicks, the fact that he keeps getting into scoring positions while bursting up and down the right flank makes him one of the most dangerous attacking players in the starting XI.
Tavernier’s numbers are certainly irreplaceable. Could Goldson say the same, especially with his performances recently?
Connor Goldson’s statistics this season
Since the start of the campaign, Goldson has earned nearly £2m in wages. Judging by his experience, his presence in the heart of the defence was supposed to give Clement peace of mind, yet the opposite was true.
It was a far cry from the days under Steven Gerrard, with the former Liverpool icon praising Goldson during his first few months at Ibrox, saying:
“He is a leader and a huge player for us,” said Gerrard. “He has been superb on and off the pitch, ever since the day he rolled in.”
With over 300 competitive appearances under his belt, his ability to command the backline should have been crucial in Rangers securing wins over Ross County and Dundee last month, yet the Gers took just one point from six.
Goldson and John Souttar were poor throughout as the Highland side scored three goals without reply in what was a display of schoolboy defending.
He completed just 73% of his attempted passes during the 3-2 defeat, along with delivering just four of his ten long ball attempts, proving that his distribution was extremely poor.
If this was a poor display, then his showing against Celtic the week prior was even worse. Again, his distribution from the heart of defence was dismal, finishing the game with an 80% pass success rate while succeeding with just five accurate long balls from 15 attempts, along with losing the ball 14 times.
He should have been in a better position to prevent Adam Idah from scoring Celtic’s third goal and was spared his blushes as Rabbi Matondo scored a sensational equaliser with minutes to go.
These are not isolated incidents. Goldson has been caught out with balls over the top in matches against Aberdeen, most notably the 1-1 draw in November, and the 2-1 win at Ibrox a few months later, with both of the Dons’ goals coming via his mistakes.
