CONNOR Goldson has been a colossus for Rangers since arriving from Brighton three-and-a-half years ago, which is why he’ll forever be fondly remembered at Ibrox if he decides to end his stay either this month or in the summer.
The 29-year-old centre back is out of contract at the end of the season and is reportedly attracting attention from English Championship clubs Nottingham Forest and West Brom.
Goldson’s ongoing contract situation has been the elephant in the room for some considerable time now and the situation looks no closer to being resolved.
Rewind to the summer of 2021 and there was a feeling that Rangers should’ve cut their losses and got rid of Goldson given he was entering the final year of his contract, but this viewpoint has no doubt subdued given his upsurge in form under Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
For a player plagued by heart trouble which resulted in very little game time prior to arriving in Govan, Goldson has gone on to become a vital component in the club’s recent success.
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He has made 195 appearances, amazingly missing out on only 10 fixtures during his time at the club.
A quite remarkable stat that highlights a durability and level of professionalism that has earned him the right to be thought of as a modern-day Rangers hero.
If we take a closer look at his stats, the radars below illustrate just how consistent he has been for the Light Blues. He has been the cornerstone to which Rangers have managed to build a team capable of winning the league title, breaking records along the way.
Last season’s heroic effort, in particular, should see him cemented into Ibrox folklore until the end of time.
To go a whole league campaign unbeaten is one thing but to equal a league record of 26 clean sheets as well as smashing a British record by only conceding 13 goals is simply astounding but none of that would’ve been possible without Goldson at the heart of the backline.
Rangers have chopped and changed centre-back partners during his time at the club but Goldson has remained constant, he is a true leader in every sense of the word.
If we look at the development in Calvin Bassey since he was moved inside to partner Goldson, we get a true sense that this is a player who can help raise the levels expected of those around him.
He is very much a modern-day equivalent of Davie Weir. The reason the likes of Carlos Cuellar, Madjid Bougherra and Danny Wilson looked as good as they did was because they were playing alongside Weir.
Goldson is made from a similar mould. Yes, his passing can be erratic at times and his concentration can wander but these pale in significance to what he produces on a continual basis.
Defensively, Rangers were a basket case before Goldson arrived. After conceding five goals away to Hibs in a 5-5 thriller at Easter Road in the final game of the 2017-18 season, prior to arriving with Steven Gerrard, Gary McAllister said: “When you watch the game and see a scoreline of 5-5 I think that kind of suggests what’s wrong.”
The club needed a defender to build a team around and in Connor Goldson, they couldn’t have recruited anyone better.
That being said, football moves on and Rangers appear to be looking ahead to life post-Goldson with the pre-contract signing of John Souttar.
There is also interest in bringing in the highly-rated Vitesse skipper Danilho Doekhi who looks like a ready-made replacement for Goldson should he depart.
Ideally, an agreement will be reached between both club and the player to tie him down on a longer-term deal but given the time that has already passed, it seems unlikely.
You also have to factor in the player’s personal situation. Moving closer to his family and getting another crack at English football is an attractive proposition and no one can begrudge him for leaving for said reasons.
Rangers may not recoup any of the £3.5 million they paid Brighton for his services but, given his contribution, every single penny of that transfer fee has been well spent.
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