The former Rangers ace certainly can’t say he didn’t see this coming.
Nearly 12 months on from his Ibrox departure in the summer of 2023, a player who once set the Scottish Premiership giants back a cool £3 million was warned in midweek that a series of poor recent performances at his new club could have consequences.
The main one being the potential loss of his captain’s armband. If Filip Helander wanted to prove that he was worthy of remaining Odense Boldklub’s skipper during Friday night’s clash with Rangers‘ Scandinavian near-namesakes Randers, however, he will have been very disappointed to learn that Bashkim Kadrii will be leading the team out at the Odense Stadium instead.
Ex-Rangers man loses the captain’s armband
The Danish outfit have now confirmed, via a statement on their official website, that Helander will not longer be striding onto the pitch with the armband around his bicep.
“In February, we published a new captain group in OB with the option to moderate who wears the captain’s armband from match to match,” the statement reads, albeit while confirming that the experienced Helander remains part of that leadership group.
“As part of this, Bashkim Kadrii takes over the captain’s armband on the pitch for tonight’s game.
No pressure, Bashkim. There is only Odense’s Super League future at stake, OB only two points above Vejle in the relegation zone. Helander was subbed off during the first-half against Velje earlier this month, with head coach Soren Krogh feeling that a red card was inevitable following his early booking.
“To ensure that we are also in the Super League for next season, I feel that this (change of captaincy) can release more energy in the playing squad,” Krogh explains. “And, therefore, it will be Bashkim Kadrii who will wear the captain’s armband for tonight’s match against Randers FC.”
Helander, the former Bologna defender, was one of a number of high-profile players who left Rangers when their contracts expired in July 2023. Things haven’t exactly gone much better for Ryan Kent or Alfredo Morelos in their new clubs, either, the former making only eight league appearances for Fenerbahce and the latter running into very familiar issues over at Santos in Brazil.
Post-Ibrox struggles for former Glasgow trio
Helander, at least, is finding game time easier to come by than his former Ibrox team-mates. The Sweden international has started each of the last 16 league matches, putting the injury problems which brought an end to his Rangers career firmly in the rearview mirror.
But while Helander’s fitness has returned, that pre-injury form is proving difficult to re-discover.
“It has been a lot for him,” Odense’s director of football, Bjorn Wesstrom, tells Fyens Stiftstidende. “Filip Helander is having a difficult period.
“When you have difficulty taking responsibility for yourself, it is of course difficult to be team captain and centre-back. It has been a lot for him. We are looking to see if we can get more out of him.”
Perhaps, released of the pressure of captaincy, Helander will feel a few stone lighter from now on.
