There was a time this season when Rangers fans would gladly have seen most of the players paid off until Philippe Clement arrived and endeavoured to turn things around.
It is now clear that one summer was never going to be enough to rebuild the squad and that the Gers boss will need at least another couple before he will truly be happy with his lot at Ibrox.
One of his complaints since coming to Rangers has been about the number of players who are out of contract at the end of the season but Philippe Clement could benefit from them all moving on, even one who has been an ever present.
Why Rangers losing John Lundstram isn’t the end of the world
The injury list has meant that the gaffer has too often had to put square pegs into round holes.
A problem that no manager with a squad as big as ours should ever have to conted with, especially with an academy that is heavily invested in too.
On paper, it might not seem like it but, one player who has excelled under Clement but is also playing out of his natural position is John Lundstram.
Despite being one of the team’s leaders and a crucial component of the manager’s system, would Rangers really be worse off if the 30-year old departs in the summer?
It’s not just Borna Barisic who has caught the eye of Trabzonspor, apparently, Lundstram is also said to be the subject of interest from the Super Lig side.
Why, after Ryan Kent’s experience, any Rangers player would entertain such a move is beyond me but, as so often is the case in football, money talks.
Why Rangers could cope without Lundstram
Back to Lundstram.
Looking at his statistics, it is easy to see why John Lundstram is relied upon by the Rangers boss, however, when you compare him to Nicolas Raskin, the numbers suggest that the Belgian could do just as good a job – if not better.
Playing in the Premier League, Lundstram was a traditional number eight, almost a throwback box-to-box midfielder not a deep lying playmaker or defensive midfielder.
He does a good job but, if Rangers are to really move on we need someone who is a specialist in that position.
Look at Steven Davis as an example.
He might not have been the most physical of players but, his positioning was near perfect and he had the passing range to play in such a key role.
What Davis was also excellent at was controlling the tempo of a game.
Rangers won’t get a fee for Lundstram if he decides to leave, there would be a lot of space freed up on the wage bill with a reported £22,000 per week salary.
Clement is clearly a fan of the powerhouse midfielder and the best scenario is for him to stay, however, nobody is irreplaceable, especially not someone playing out of position.
