According to Kris Boyd, it is “crucial” that the Rangers work out a contract extension for John Lundstram in order for Philippe Clement to be able to centre his offence around one of his top players.
In his March 8th Scottish Sun column, the Sky Sports pundit stated that the English midfielder, along with January transfer Mohamed Diomande, has a “enormous influence” on the Belgian team’s setup.
The former Sheffield United player’s Ibrox contract is set to expire in the summer, but Boyd feels that Clement is “one of the best” in the team and must stay because of his success since joining.
Boyd penned: “Next season, Rangers? Well, it will be important to hang onto John Lundstram during the summer. They must come up with a plan to lock him down to a new deal.
He is a great compliment to Diomande and has a big say in how Clement wants the club to play.
“The Belgian will need his best players around him to build again next term, and Lundstram has been one of the best.”
Rangers midfielder Philippe Clement is essential, thus he must stay
Ryan Jack might leave when his own contract expires, Jose Cifuentes has already left, and Nico Raskin’s performance has significantly declined.
So while there are currently numbers in the Ibrox midfield that could be deceptive and losing Lundstram would be a blow.
Dujon Sterling’s emergence and Diomande’s strong start to life in Glasgow mean Clement wouldn’t be left too short, but with Lundstram, 30, staring virtually every game for the Gers boss it is clear how important the Merseysider is to him.
The Englishman has stated that he would “love” to stay, so the wage bill will need to make sense. However, it seems that a deal shouldn’t be too difficult to work out, as the manager also expressed his hope that it can be done while disclosing that talks were ongoing [Daily Record, 20 January].
Though possible new midfield additions have already begun to be connected ahead of the summer, the talks have already lasted for several weeks without coming to a resolution, which may be reason for some anxiety. The top focus will need to be preventing undesired departures.
