Rangers’ £3.5m ‘colossus’ could become new Connor Goldson under Rolle

Rangers are entering their busiest period of the season with a depleted squad, making Danny Rohr’s already difficult task even more difficult.

First-choice centre-back duo John Souter and Derek Cornelius suffered long-term injuries during the international break, with Mikey Moore and Youssef Chelmiti also missing Saturday’s narrow 2-1 win over Livingston.

On Thursday night, the Gers welcome Braga to Ibrox in the Europa League, but are in desperate need of a win given they sit at the bottom of a huge table and their names mean nothing.

Given all the injury issues, which ‘giant’ will start in this important European match, hoping to recreate the recent Rangers legend?

Connor Goldson’s Rangers career

A number of numbers have been key to the success the Rangers have enjoyed over the past decade.

Steven Gerrard led them to their only Premiership title since 2011, Giovanni van Bronckhorst led them to the Europa League final and captain James Tavernier and Connor Goldson have been key players for many years.

When the then 26-year-old defender arrived in 2018, he was not well known and had little experience at the top level.

Goldson’s stay at Brighton & Hove Albion was derailed when routine tests revealed a heart defect requiring preventive surgery, sparking fears he would never play again, and he made just three Premier League appearances for the Seagulls.

Nevertheless, after moving north of the border, he became a rock in the center of the Light Blues’ defense, representing the club 309 times and winning all three domestic trophies.

The centre-back scored a number of important goals, scoring both in the 2-0 win at Celtic Park to start their title-winning campaign, before departing for a move to Aris Limassol in the summer of 2024.

Whoever is responsible for recruiting Alice Limassol, it should be fun to watch the Rangers season review DVD, considering Wes Foderingham, Leon Balogun and Ross McCausland are also currently plying their trade at the Alphamega Stadium.

Fast forward to the present day and Rangers haven’t had a dominant and reliable centre-half since Goldson moved to Cyprus, but is that about to change?

Rangers new signing Connor Goldson

With Soutard and Cornelius sidelined until at least Christmas, opportunities have been given to other players, with forgotten man Emmanuel Fernandes at the front of the line.

On Saturday, the £3.5m summer signing from Peterborough United made his first start since August and created a chance by breaking the deadlock within nine minutes. His towering header gave Livingston goalkeeper Jerome Prior no chance.

Overall, Fernandes’ stats over the weekend were impressive.

As noted in the table, Fernandes had a dominant performance against Livingston, ranking first in defensive actions, blocks, duels won, and aerial duels won, but only Nicholas Raskin completed more passes.

As previously hinted, this is the centre-back’s third start for the club, having scored his debut goal against Alloa and starting the following weekend against St Mirren, but before that he had only featured briefly since 24 August.

Nevertheless, it is certain that he insisted on further involvement in Rohr’s team, and given the lack of replacement players, the German manager does not have many options.

The Englishman is certainly popular at his former club, with Peterborough chairman Darragh McAnthony calling him a “colossus” and “gentle giant”, adding that he is “a great organizer and a great speaker”.

Like Goldson, Fernandes’ most of his experience before joining Rangers was in the EFL, having also represented non-league clubs Sheppey United, Margate and Spalding United.

So joining the Glasgow giants is a big move for the 24-year-old, who wants to take a big step in his career, as Goldson did previously.

As a result, his playing opportunities have been very limited so far, but he will be back in the spotlight when Braga visit Govan on Thursday night, meaning he will be ready to make his European debut.