Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst is facing a battle to keep central defender Filip Helander at Ibrox beyond the summer.
What’s the talk?
According to Football Insider, sources have revealed the giant centre-back is attracting interest from a team south of the border ahead of the summer.
Is Helander Premier League quality?
The report claims that former Gers manager Steven Gerrard wants to be reunited with the Swede to replace Tyrone Mings at Aston Villa next season. He is not convinced by the England international and is now monitoring Helander with a view to a swoop for him later this year.
Ross Wilson will be excited
Rangers’ sporting director will surely be rubbing his hands together with excitement at the prospect of being able to cash in on Helander.
His pre-existing relationship with Gerrard could allow him to negotiate a favourable financial package with Villa, whilst the deal, in general, would be a shock.
Despite the Liverpool legend’s connection with Rangers, it would be an incredibly surprising move given Helander’s issues this season. He has struggled for form and fitness and has not done enough to suggest that he would be an asset to a Premier League team, much less ahead of Mings.
In the Premiership this season, he has only played six times and averaged an underwhelming SofaScore rating of 6.75 – lower than any other senior Gers centre-back – and was subbed off at half-time in his last two starts in the division.
Rangers have only kept one clean sheet in his six outings and the overall standard of his performances has been below-par in comparison to the other players in his position. Connor Goldson, Leon Balogun and Calvin Bassey have all averaged scores of 6.97 or higher, whilst outcast Jack Simpson previously averaged a score of 6.83.
His injuries are also a massive cause for concern. He missed 22 matches with a foot injury in the 2019/20 campaign and then suffered a blow to his knee at the start of 2021/22 that kept him out of 32 games.
The centre-back made his return earlier this year and was then hit with another setback as he damaged his foot earlier this month, which is predicted to keep him on the sidelines for at least 12 outings.
Meanwhile, Mings has averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.91 and played 29 matches in the Premier League, after playing in 36 games last term and averaging a score of 6.95 for Villa. He has been more consistent than Helander in terms of his ability on the pitch and his reliability from a selection standpoint, which is why it would be baffling for Gerrard to make this transfer move.
Therefore, Wilson will be excited as he has the chance to seal a masterclass of a deal by selling the Swede to Villa as he would be offloading an underperforming, unreliable, dud.
AND in other news, Major blow: Rangers now hit with significant setback that’ll leave supporters gutted…
