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John Souttar to be offered Rangers new deal as Philippe Clement admits 'he's been our best defender'
Philippe Clement has revealed he wants to tie down John Souttar on an extended Rangers contract.
The Light Blues defender has been a key man in the heart of the Ibrox backline after putting his injury woes behind him. He's also been a key figure for Steve Clarke and Scotland, impressing in the latest Nations League double-header. Clement has made the stopper his first choice with Robin Propper and Leon Balogun switching between themselves to play alongside the former Hearts man.
And now Clement wants to reward his efforts and keep him long-term. He still has 18-months to run on his current terms. He said: “(With John) it’s on the table and it’s progressed when things are arranged. But that’s not the case yet. We will see what happens in the next couple of months. He still has a year and a half to go. But he knows I’m happy with his evolution and that shows in his play.
“He’s been our best defender this season, the most regular one in our team, and he has progressed really well. He has become stronger in his duels and his handling of the ball.
“We still see things that he can make better but we want to make them better together. I’m really happy with what he's been showing.”
It comes as the Belgian made a plea with the Ibrox board to back him with funds in January. He has his eyes on more firepower with his players not scoring enough goals for his liking.
He wants to bolster his options in the new year in a bid to claw back the 11 points difference on rivals Celtic in the Scottish Premiership. His side are also in the box seat for Europa League knockout football and have a Scottish Cup campaign kicking off at home to Fraserburgh in the fourth round next month.
He added: “I’m not going into detail, that’s something to discuss with the board. But I think we have other parts of the team to strengthen also (aside from forward players) to be competitive every three days.
“For sure, the funds haven’t been done yet but in the near future we need to see the reality of that. Do I feel we need to do it in January to achieve what we want? I think it’s necessary that we can do things.
“Just like every team wants and every manager wants. So we’ll see what’s possible. I want us to score more goals - that’s a major one. We don’t concede much but we have to score more goals and be more lethal in the final third.
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