Have Rangers Found Gold In Connor Goldson?
According to various media outlets, Brighton & Hove Albion defender Connor Goldson is about to become Steven Gerrard’s latest signing at Rangers with Scott Arfield, Allan McGregor and Jamie Murphy already going the ranks this summer.
The fee is believed to be in excess of £3m and that would be a big outlay for the Ibrox club, especially when you consider that they’ll still need more faces for next season.
The centre-back has been linked with a Gers move for a while now and it seems that Gerrard has finally managed to get his man.
So why is the new Rangers boss so keen to bring Connor north of the border?
The twenty-five year old is a powerful 6ft 3 defender and we know that the Govan side need better players in that position and ones that won’t crumble under pressure.
It’s true that Connor hasn’t played much first team football in that last eighteen months. That’s mainly due to a heart operation that the player needed back in February 2017. Once he got back to full fitness he found his way back into the team blocked by Lewis Dunk and Shane Duffy, both of whom had performed admirably in the English Premier League.
He still managed to make eight appearances for the Seagulls last term, including three in England’s top flight. He also scored a nice header against Coventry City in his last FA Cup tie for the club.
In his Premier League debut, Goldson had a standout performance as his side kept a clean-sheet as they beat Watford 1-0. After that outing, his manager Chris Hughton singled out the centre-half for much praise:
“Someone who has not played for that period of time, to put in that kind of performance speaks volumes for him,”
“The scare and what he went through last season is out of the way now.
“He has waited a long time to get the opportunity to play – everyone is so delighted for him.”
In those games in the last year; Goldson averaged 2.7 clearance per game and won around 3.3 aerial battles per appearance too. Now when you look back at his performances during the 2015-16 Championship campaign (when he played twenty-five league games), you’ll notice that his stats were similar; 76% passing success rate, 2.6 aerials won and 4.5 clearances were made.
That suggests he’s a commanding defender, who wants to see the ball away from his penalty area. Too many times in recent years Gers fans have had their hearts in their mouths as the ball heads towards their own goal. They need a player in the backline, who can just clear the ball from danger without any fuss.
Brighton fans have been on social media wishing Connor well and stating that they’re sad to see him go. With that in mind I decided to ask a Seagulls supporter about the defender.
French football writer and Brighton & Hove Albion fan Jeremy Smith (@jeremysmith98) said that Connor Goldson was a ‘Classy player’ and is ‘Physical but also good on the ball, at feet and distribution.’.
Jeremy went on to say that he has all the attributes to be a good leader on the field, can be used as a right-back if needed and was well liked by the rest of the squad and the fans (noting that a certain Spandau Ballet track makes for a good chant in the stands).
It says a lot about a player’s character and attitude that as a squad member for the past two seasons that the home support can still be gutted that you’ve left.
Steven Gerrard clearly saw improving his defence as being a major priority this summer and he also wanted to add more leaders to his pool.
It seems like he may get that in Goldson, with added passion and a hunger to prove himself in the Scottish Premiership.
Posted on June 6th, 2018 by scott
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