Rangers have officially announced the departure of Ibrox stalwart and club vice-captain Connor Goldson.
The 31-year-old defender has signed a three-year deal with Aris Limassol in Cyprus, bringing to an end six years at the heart of the Ibrox defence.
Rangers have taken the opportunity to thank Connor Goldson for his service to the club over the years, the centre-back joining from Brighton under the reign of Steven Gerrard in 2018.
A near ever present in that period, Goldson made 309 appearances for the Gers in total and played the most minutes during the 55-winning season and in the Europa League Final campaign.
Leaving with one medal apiece in the Scottish Premiership, Scottish Cup and League Cup, Connor has been central to the success Rangers have had in recent seasons.
And whilst there’s a feeling it was time for the centre-back to move on, Rangers fans have been recognising the defender’s commitment to the cause.
Rangers fans hail ‘fantastic servant’ Goldson
One of the club’s greatest servants of the modern era, Connor Goldson bounced back from heart surgery to reinstate Rangers on the domestic and continental stages.
A Goliath at the heart of the defence, if only some of the centre-back’s teammates matched Goldson’s commitment and availability the defender might be leaving with more medals.
The contribution of Connor has been recognised by Rangers supporters who’ve taken to social media to lend their support.
The response from Rangers fans to Connor Goldson’s time at Ibrox has been overwhelmingly positive.
Fans recognise the centre-back’s commitment and contribution whilst also understanding the limitations often set upon the defender by factors outwith his control.
Here’s just some of the positive responses to Goldson’s time in Glasgow:
‘Good luck Connor, once a Ranger always a Rangers’ one fan adds.
Another chimes in with ‘thanks for everything’ whilst some fans are worried Goldson’s role in the squad will be ‘tough to replace’.
Some are apprehensive that the decision will come back to haunt the club, with one fan ‘absolutely gutted’ to see Connor go.
Others have pointed out that Goldson suffered a downturn in form in recent seasons.
Many believe the defender’s immense availability eventually took its toll and whilst they’re emotional about the centre-back’s exit, they believe Connor’s best has been and gone.
Gers attentions turn to transfer market
Now attentions are set to turn on who Rangers will hope to sign to replace Connor Goldson at Ibrox.
Whilst the fee Aris paid for Goldson is officially undisclosed, Rangers Review journalist Derek Clark has divulged some details.
Speaking at the beginning of the platform’s Morning Briefing, Clark quotes sources in Cyprus and claims Rangers will recoup an additional €1.7m (£1.4m) for the defender with achievable add-ons on top of that.
It cannot be understated just how monumental Goldson’s contribution was in terms of minutes at Rangers and now the club will have to move quickly to fill that void.
It’s also not incorrect to say that Goldson was in many respects the Gers’ de facto captain, Tavernier leading by example and Connor leading on the field.
The vocal influence in the dressing room, the impact of Connor’s exit isn’t just going to be felt on the pitch and now Rangers need experience in the door to soften that blow.
Rangers have been linked to two centre-backs this week and with Leon Balogun, John Souttar and Ben Davies all prone to injury issues the situation is making fans a little nervous.
It’s all good saluting Connor Goldson, it’s all good moving the high-earner on, but if we can’t get a suitable replacement in the door we really risk going backwards.
Goldson’s exit also comes during a summer of sweeping change in Glasgow, with the Rangers vice-captain following John Lundstram, Borna Barisic, Kemar Roofe, Ryan Jack, Sam Lammers, Jose Cifuentes and Jon McLaughlin out of the club.
