---
title: "Rangers: John Souttar hailed as ‘ready-made’ replacement for Connor Goldson"
canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/john-souttar-readymade-goldson-replacement-rangers/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "David Comerford"
section: "Rangers News"
published: "2022-02-23T07:36:49Z"
modified: "2022-02-23T07:36:49Z"
---

# Rangers: John Souttar hailed as ‘ready-made’ replacement for Connor Goldson

**Rangers may already have replaced Connor Goldson by lining up the signing of John Souttar, Pete O’Rourke has told [GiveMeSport](https://www.givemesport.com/87975397-incoming-defender-john-souttar-could-be-a-ready-made-replacement-for-connor-goldson-at-rangers).**

### The lowdown

Last month, the Scottish defender finalised a pre-contract agreement with the Gers, and he is set to join the Premiership champions when his deal at Hearts expires in the summer (via [BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/59998281)).

Valued at £900,000 by [Transfermarkt](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/john-souttar/profil/spieler/235767), the 25-year-old has amassed [178](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/john-souttar/leistungsdaten/spieler/235767) Premiership appearances and won [four caps](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/john-souttar/leistungsdaten/spieler/235767) for Scotland.

Like Souttar, Goldson is also [out of contract](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/connor-goldson/profil/spieler/163656) at the end of the 2021/22 campaign. In a recent article for[The Athletic](https://theathletic.com/3109277/2022/02/04/rangers-have-stood-still-in-the-transfer-market-will-it-cost-them-in-title-race-with-celtic/), Rangers correspondent Jordan Campbell wrote that the 29-year-old is expected to leave as a free agent in the summer.

\[freshpress-quiz id=”383632″\]

### The latest

O’Rourke feels that Souttar may be able to step in and instantly fill in the void left by Goldson’s prospective exit from Rangers.

The journalist told [GiveMeSport](https://www.givemesport.com/87975397-incoming-defender-john-souttar-could-be-a-ready-made-replacement-for-connor-goldson-at-rangers): “With John Souttar coming in from Hearts, he maybe could be a ready-made replacement for Goldson at centre-back.”

### The verdict

How similar are the two players from a stylistic point of view?

According to WhoScored, they both excel at passing, but whereas [Goldson](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/134258/Show/Connor-Goldson) likes to play it short, [Souttar](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/363298/Show/John-Souttar) prefers to attempt long balls. If Giovanni van Bronckhorst asks the latter to build more slowly from the back, the 25-year-old may then need to adapt his game.

Encouragingly, both players are equally as dominant in aerial duels, winning 71% apiece ([Goldson](https://www.sofascore.com/player/connor-goldson/134364)/[Souttar](https://www.sofascore.com/player/john-souttar/287563) via SofaScore).

While you may wonder why Rangers did not cash in on the [£7.2m-rated](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/connor-goldson/profil/spieler/163656) Goldson while they had the chance, they appear to have found an experienced and immediate successor without needing to splash out on a transfer fee themselves.

**In other news, [Jordan Campbell hints that more business is needed after this player ‘struggled’ on Sunday](https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/rangers-fc-news/jordan-campbell-rangers-strikers-concern-morelos/)**