‘He’s a leader’…6ft 5inch colossus could make dream Ibrox move after ‘23 Gers link
Despite Rangers defence looking good on paper, Philippe Clement will know that centre-half is an area where he will need to strengthen and one former target could be about to become available at a knockdown price.
READ MORE: Rangers reportedly want £15m defender as Beale offers swift response
Harry Souttar struggles after Rangers transfer link
It would be one proud mum if Harry Souttar got his wish and joined his brother John at Rangers by lining up for the club she supports.
Last summer, Michael Beale spoke openly about looking for a central defender.
The club were linked with several, however, only Leon Balogun arrived.
After starring in the 2022 FIFA World Cup for Australia, things haven’t gone to plan for Souttar.
A £15m move to Leicester City saw him earn a dream step up to the Premier League and the future looked bright.
After 18-months though the 25-year old has made just 16 appearances for the Foxes despite being relegated and then spending a season in the Championship.
It’s no wonder Australia manager Graham Arnold recently urged the towering stopper to think about his future:
“With the size of him, he’s one of our leading goalscorers…and he’s a leader. In that [centre-back] position, he’s crucial in what we need. I know he’s going through a tough time at Leicester. I had a good chat with him.
“He has to fix it. This can’t go on forever, but what we are doing probably at the moment is helping his career by giving him match minutes during these FIFA. (international) windows and showing what he can do, but as a side to him today, this next transfer window is going to be really crucial for him.”
Souttar has summer transfer decision to make
Having not really played for almost two seasons, Harry Souttar really needs to think about where he wants to play his football.
Leicester are in good shape to get promoted so the lure of the Premier League would be a strong one.
He has to be realistic though.
If Enzo Maresca isn’t going to play Souttar in the Championship, he’s not going to play him at a higher level.
Like Balogun, Souttar is a proactive and aggressive defender, as Arnold hints at, he’s also a massive threat at set-pieces.
The biggest question would be what sort of fee Leicester would be demanding.
They would want to recoup as much as possible, but there is a limit to what a club can charge when a player has only played four games all season.
What would be worth entertaining is a loan deal.
There is a grey area about whether or not Souttar would class as association trained having left Dundee Utd as a teenager to move to Stoke City just a few weeks short of his 18th birthday.
On loan, Leicester would be able to get Souttar the game time needed to get his confidence back and put him in the shop window whilst Rangers and Philippe Clement would be getting an experienced, low risk, international centre-half.
Souttar has shown that he can be a quality player and has experience of the Scottish Premiership, in a summer where money will need to be spent in attacking areas saving a pound or two elsewhere makes a lot of sense.
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