The defender has acknowledged that Leon Balogun wants to continue at Rangers but is still unsure if he will be given a new contract at Ibrox.
The center back’s deal expires in the summer, and while he has stated that talks have not yet begun, he is hoping that his outstanding performance in the 2-0 victory against Hearts, which secured a spot in the Scottish Cup final against Celtic, will spark conversations about extending his stay.
And after unhappiness over his previous exit from the club under Giovanni van Bronckhorst in 2022 [The Beautiful Game Podcast] he would like to find out his future earlier this time, but with a month let until the campaign concludes at Hampden he remains in the dark for now.
Balogun said, via the Daily Record (23 April): “I hope so. Has there been talks on my future? Not yet. I really don’t know what will happen. I think those decisions will be made within the club within the next few weeks.
“I hope I get a notification a bit more timely than the last time around! I would like to think I can be quite positive, touching on the manager choosing me on Sunday, but I can’t really tell you – I don’t know yet.”
Following his impressive display against Hearts, Ally McCoist declared the Nigerian international “undroppable,” saying that Goldson would now need to replace John Souttar in the starting lineup [Daily Record, 22 April].
Has the Rangers defender shown Philippe Clement how valuable he is?
Balogun would most likely be eligible for a contract extension if he were a few years younger, but the fact that he will turn 36 in two months seems to be making the club hesitant.
Though Philippe Clement won’t be persuaded by one outstanding performance at Hampden, it will be challenging to let him depart if he remains in the starting lineup through the rest of the season and plays at that level.
Given Goldson’s inconsistent play this season, there was a strong case to be made for Balogun’s return to the starting lineup before the weekend. However, the manager decided not to use Goldson at all following his February facial fracture, even though he had started him in every SPFL game through November and December.
Ben Davies and Leon King are also predicted to go on, despite the fact that it appears doubtful that Goldson will be leaving in the summer and that Souttar has finally made a name for himself this season.
Maintaining a trustworthy veteran in the team has many benefits, even though a deal to bring in Harry Souttar may be reexamined after it was unsuccessful in January.
Even though Balogun, Goldson’s senior, has played in much more games than the former, it can be argued that the latter has aged less thus far despite the passing of several years.
Furthermore, the elder man has shown his love for the Rangers, so even a one-year extension would probably be satisfactory.
