Three years ago, Rangers beat St Mirren 3-0 at Ibrox to move to within one point of their first Scottish Premiership title since the demotion.
Flash forward to May 2024 – the week in which Old Firm rivals Celtic retained their crown via a thumping win of their own – the Rangers side who battered The Buddies in the peak of the Steven Gerrard era has all-but been dismantled.
Eight of that day’s starting XI have already bid farewell to Ibrox, including Joe Aribo, Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos. That number will rise to ten if, as expected, Borna Barisic and Ianis Hagi go. Thus, leaving Connor Goldson as the only survivor.
Barisic’s contract expires in July. As do those of Leon Balogun, Ryan Jack and the similarly-Trabzonspor-bound John Lundstram, the midfielder reportedly in talks to join the left-back at the Turkish Super Lig outfit on a free transfer (Scottish Sun).
Rangers set to bid farewell to Barisic and Lundstram
Ertugrul Dogan, Trabzonspor’s president, hasmade no secret of his desire to bring in further experience on the banks of the Black Sea, with Argentine legend Angel di Maria potentially on his way too.
In his latest update, given to TRT Spor this week, Dogan claimed that Trabzonspor have now ‘completed’ four new signings even before the window opens. And while he did not mention Barisic or Lundstram by name, most of the signs suggest that two of the club’s more long-serving players will be plying their trade in Turkey in the coming months.
“As of now, the transfer of four players has been completed,” Dogan says. “We can add three more players. We will meet with one player this week.”
Barisic, a £2 million signing from NK Osijek back in 2018 and a consistent creator of goalscoring opportunities over the last six years, appears to have already been replaced. Ridvan Yilmaz has come on leaps and bounds under Philippe Clement, impressive on his first start after a long injury absence against Dundee on Tuesday.
Lundstram, meanwhile, will be hoping to make amends in the Scottish Cup final at Hampden Park. The former Everton and Sheffield United midfielder will not want that first-half display in Saturday’s Old Firm derby defeat to be the lasting memory he leaves on the blue side of Glasgow, Lundstram scoring a calamitous own goal before selling his team-mates down the river with the most reckless of red cards.
A disastrous final Premiership Old Firm for Lundstram
“John spoke first to me to say sorry. He knew from the first second (he had made a mistake),” Clement said post-match, insisting that this was not the rush of blood to the head some had suggested.
“He wanted to go for the ball because we were pressing high. If you can win that ball it can be a one-v-one situation and create a chance. He has gone a split second to late and connects with the foot instead of the ball in that moment.
“I don’t want to see those tackles from that far. He knows, it’s one of our principles, it’s on the board in the dressing room.
“Players made mistakes, managers make mistakes and even sometimes journalists! Lunny has been giving a lot and that’s why I said after the game.
“In the last months was he always the best player? No. Did he have bad games? Yes. But he is giving his best and wants to for the club. He made a mistake and it’s now looking forward.”
