Rangers have now officially missed out on Auston Trusty as Premier League newcomers Sheffield United complete the £5 million signing of Arsenal’s USA international.
With a new left-sided centre-half still required at Rangers, there was a double dose of bad news in midweek.
The Athletic report that Jonathan Panzo – seemingly Mick Beale’s number one defensive target is now more likely to end up at Cardiff City or in the Dutch Eredivisie at this stage. And it’s not as if Rangers are in any position to view Auston Trusty as a viable back-up either.
Not with the former Birmingham City loanee signing a four-year deal with Sheffield United on Thursday.
Sheffield United complete Auston Trusty deal with Arsenal
“I’m delighted we’ve managed to get this one over the line,” beams Blades boss Paul Heckingbottom, who himself had hoped to add a defensive southpaw to his Bramall Lane backline.
“It is one of the positions we’ve been looking to fill. (Trusty) is at a good age to progress. He has experience having played at international level. And in the Championship last year, where we monitored him, he picked up Birmingham’s Player of the Year award.
“As a coaching team, we feel that he has the athleticism and desire to succeed in the Premier League.”
He may sound more like the sort of 1970s hatchback your grandad used to own, but Auston Trusty proved himself to be a fine centre-half during his time at St Andrew’s. The club’s Player of the Year gong a fitting award for a man who helped keep John Eustace’s side safe from relegation danger throughout the campaign.
Rangers, per the Scottish Sun, were linked with a £2 million move back in May. Reports that Sheffield United have now shelled out over twice as much – a cool £5 million – may prove one of two things.
Either the existance of the so-called ‘Premier League tax’. Or, that Rangers were always likely to be priced out of the market with Beale’s more expensive additions coming at the other end of the pitch.
With a month left, time is running out for Rangers now with Beale forced to consider alternative options.
