Philippe Clement has admitted his anger at the contract situation of several players at Rangers, and says it “will never happen again” under his watch.
Eight players are set to see their contracts end at Ibrox once the season ends, including midfielder John Lundstram who is a target for Turkish outfit Trabzonspor.
After reports that the 30-year-old has agreed terms to leave the club despite Clement wanting him to stay in Glasgow, the manager shared an update on where his future stands and made a bold claim about the scenario re-emerging in the future.
“There have been offers from the club, but there is no agreement yet,” he said, as quoted by The Scottish Sun (26 April). “I expect he has other offers, yes. I hope he stays. I know he loves to be here.
“It depends on what you can offer and what other clubs can offer. That is why I don’t like that important players are at the end of contracts. It’s not a good thing for a club.
“It is something that will never happen again in the period that I’m here, for sure.”
Rangers need someone to stop this from happening
It’s been a regular issue at Ibrox over the years, that key players approach the summer transfer window with their futures up in the air due to an expiring contract.
Two summers ago it was Connor Goldson, who surprised most by penning a new deal when the expectation was that he would leave and return to England. Last season it was Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos and this year there are eight players, including Lundstram and Borna Barisic.
It’s unacceptable for the team to constantly have these issues looming over them at the business end of the campaign every year, and someone should have taken control of it by now.
For Clement to be the one to stand up and make it so is great news for the club, but also rather embarrassing for those in charge further up the chain.
It also shows that the manager is planning to be at Ibrox for a while, which can only be a good thing, and hopefully the club can soon start to operate like a serious club for the first time in a long time.
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