Connor Goldson has hinted Rangers’ failure to act in the transfer market after stopping Celtic’s charge for 10 in a row has been the catalyst for their struggle to become top dogs in Scotland.
The Gers lifted their first league title in 10 years under Steven Gerrard in 2021, going unbeaten during the entire Premiership season to be crowned as champions for the 55th time with six games still to spare. But in the following summer, the club’s recruitment did not have the desired effect, with Rangers crashing out of qualifying in the Champions League to Malmo after signing just one player for a significant sum of money in midfielder Leandro Bacuna.
Fashion Sakala Jr, John Lundstram and Nnamdi Ofoborh all arrived on free transfers and less than three months after the window closed, Gerrard jumped ship to take up the reins at Aston Villa.
Although his successor Giovanni van Bronckhorst picked up the pieces and led them to the final of the Europa League, Rangers were unable to defend their Premiership crown and have had to watch their Old Firm rivals claim the last three titles on the spin, with van Bronckhorst, Michael Beale and now Philippe Clement all failing in trying to halt the Hoops dominance.
Earlier this week, Record Sport‘s Scott McDermott sat down with Goldson – who swapped Ibrox for Aris Limassol last summer – to look back on his six-years at Ibrox, and learned from the 31-year-old that has revealed the centre back’s thoughts on why Rangers were not able to build from a position of strength after winning the league.
Appearing onRecord Sport’s Hotline Live, McDermott said: “It wasn’t in the piece but just from talking to him, the vibe I got from Connor Goldson was that he knew that in that summer with Gerrard (after they won the league) they were going in for certain players that would kick them on and take them to the next step. Those players didn’t arrive and I don’t think the standard of player that did come in was good enough.
“I think that as a senior figure in that dressing room, he felt disappointed by that. He absolutely loved the whole European run with Gio (van Bronckhorst) to Seville and all those nights at Ibrox which he says were some of the best nights of his life.
“But I just think deep down, he and Gerrard felt that when they won that title and in the state of disarray Celtic were in at that time having lost a manager and several key players, that was the time to try and kick on and get out of sight after stopping the 10 in a row.
“Instead Rangers stood still and Celtic, to their credit brought in a brilliant manager in (Ange) Postecoglou and managed to turn it around quickly. And I think Goldson says it himself that Rangers have never been the same since then.
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