Forget Nsiala: Rangers can finally replace Goldson by signing "class" star

Rangers’ miserable away form continues.

On Thursday, the Light Blues were held to a 1-1 draw by Dundee at Dens Park, conceding inside six minutes, before Václav Černý smuggled home an equaliser on the half-hour mark but, despite having 77% possession, they could not find that all-important second, actually ending the night with a lower xG than the Dee: 1.01 to 0.73.

As a result, Philippe Clement’s team are now a humongous 15 points adrift Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic, winless in four away matches. This isn’t a new trend, considering the Gers have won just three of 11 away league games this season, scoring a miserly 13 goals in these fixtures, three of which came at Easter Road on Sunday – and they still didn’t beat Hibs in Edinburgh.

With crucial Europa League fixtures against Manchester United and Royale Union Saint-Gilloise right around the corner, supporters are calling for signings, with pressure mounting on both Clement and newly-appointed Chief executive officer Patrick Stewart.

Rangers seeking defensive reinforcements

According to a report by the Daily Record, defender Ryan Porteous – who was linked with the Gers back in 2023 – is “unhappy” at Watford, while the Hibs Observer added that Hull City are also interested in his services.

Craig Moore, who made 187 appearances for Rangers across two spells, has tipped his former club to pounce on the situation, having told the Go Radio Football Show earlier this week that Porteous “will be one of a few options I am pretty sure Rangers will be looking at”, adding he is “certainly one to consider”.

The defender joined Hibernian as a 13-year-old, making 157 appearances for the Hibees’ first team, before being sold to Watford for a reported £500,000 in January 2023.

During his time at Vicarage Road, Porteous has been lauded by manager Tom Cleverley as one of the club’s “real class leaders in the dressing room“, although he has endured a sticky time of it of late.

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Now 25 years old, he has played 80 times for the Hornets, albeit he was left on the bench for their most recent EFL Championship fixture against Sheffield United, having been hooked at half-time at Cardiff a week earlier.

Meanwhile, he’s not featured for Scotland since being sent off during the Euro 2024 opener against Germany, a match Scotland were humiliatingly hammered 5-1, so Porteous could push for a move as he seeks regular game time at club level to force his way back into Steve Clarke’s plans.

This potential move to Glasgow could be controversial, considering Porteous isn’t particularly popular with the Rangers support.

After Hibs beat the Gers 3-1 in the League Cup semi-finals at Hampden in November 2021, the defender mischievously said “do we look happy? Don’t ask silly questions then”, parodying an interview given by then Rangers boss Steven Gerrard, also to reporter Emma Dodds, a month earlier, mere days before he jumped ship for Aston Villa.

Nevertheless, this would all be water under the bridge if he arrived and helped turn Rangers’ form around.

How Ryan Porteous would improve Rangers

Right now, Rangers are faced with a defensive injury crisis.

Captain James Tavernier, Dujon Sterling, John Souttar, Leon Balogun and Neraysho Kasanwirjo all sat out the mid-week trip to Dens Park, meaning 20-year-old Clinton Nsiala was handed his senior debut, with writer Michael McEwan on Twitter, slightly tongue in cheek, comparing him to “prime Franco Baresi”.

The former AC Milan starlet was certainly solid, if not unspectacular, on his first-team bow, making six clearances and producing four blocks, with there perhaps hope that he can nail down a starting berth moving forward. That said, the Light Blues need instant solutions, not just long-term potential.

Indeed, Rangers are yet to properly replace Connor Goldson, who unceremoniously departed last summer for Aris Limassol, having made 309 appearances for the Ibrox side.

So let’s see how Porteous and Goldson compare?

As outlined in the table, Porteous is much more of an all-action defender than Goldson, whose numbers across his final two seasons at Rangers are actually not that outstanding.

On the flip side, Porteous’ statistics are impressive, meaning he looks to be just what the Gers are looking for, so, if he does become available this month, the Glasgow-based side should be all over that.

A ‘leader’ – as Cleverley hinted at – the wantaway Watford man could fill the shoes of Goldson more than adequately, should talk surrounding a move to Ibrox become more concrete.

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