Nils Koppen have a major update on Rangers’ transfer activity to the club’s TV channel over the weekend.
The Gers recruitment chief gave a farily lengthy interview on the goings on at the club and in his department ahead of the January transfer window.
The Belgian is now 10 months into his Ibrox role and has been working closely with manager Philippe Clement as they attempt to make big improvements to the Light Blues team all over the pitch.
They did some business in the summer but perhaps not as much as supporters would have liked after a few seasons of underachievement. They will get another chance to go again in January and will no doubt already have targets in mind.
We told how Koppen warned about a potential exodus of existing Rangers squad members and also dropped a hint about quality signings to come.
Koppen wants John Souttar at Rangers for the long haul
Despite that warning that current players may not be safe, he named one that definitely is.
The Belgian recruitment guru insists that while you want players to have ambition to go far in the game, the John Souttar is the type you want to keep about at the club for as long as possible.
He said: “Of course, you need some of these guys, like John Souttar, to stay for a long time at the club. Guys who understand the DNA of the football club and can pass that knowledge onto new players,” he said.
“That’s super important. But 80 per cent of these players who move to the club should come with the ambition to go.
“Ultimately, that is only achieved by winning and progressing so that everyone can benefit – the club and the player.”
Souttar clearly has Rangers future
The centre-back is 28 and has a contract at Ibrox until 2026, so taking him up until the age of 30.
From the noises Koppen is making, club chiefs want him to stick around and it may not be out of the question for him to finish his career at Rangers.
His recent form won him a recall to the Scotland squad and he can continue to be that dependable man in the heart of defence.
