More valuable than Butland: Rangers hit gold with star whose value’s soared

England officially confirmed the appointment of Thomas Tuchel as their new national team head coach and it could be good news for Glasgow Rangers star Jack Butland.

The English colossus did not get a look-in under Gareth Southgate and now has an opportunity to impress a new manager who does not already have his favourites.

 

Butland, who is currently valued at €3m (£2.5m) by Transfermarkt, has kept a whopping 33 clean sheets in 71 appearances in all competitions for the Gers, including 23 clean sheets in 40 matches in the Scottish Premiership.

The former Crystal Palace and Stoke City ace has been a revelation for the Ibrox giants but one of the players who has helped him to keep so many clean sheets is central defender John Souttar.

 

How much Rangers paid for John Souttar

In January 2022, former sporting director Ross Wilson reached a pre-contract agreement with the Scotland international to bring him to Glasgow on a free transfer from Hearts at the end of the season.

At the time of his official move to Rangers in the summer, Transfermarkt valued the towering centre-back at just €1.5m (£1.2m) after he had played 162 matches during his time with the Jam Tarts.

He, unfortunately, endured a horrendous debut season with the Light Blues due to a lengthy injury absence. The 28-year-old star suffered an ankle injury in August, a month on from his move to the club, that kept him out for 50 matches for club and country.

That meant that Souttar was limited to just 13 appearances in all competitions for the Gers in the 2022/23 campaign, which was far from ideal as he looked to make a good first impression.

John Souttar’s soaring market value

Since that ankle injury, the former Hearts titan has gone from strength to strength at Ibrox and his value has soared as a result of his strong form.

 

In the 2023/24 campaign, Souttar scored two goals in 41 appearances in all competitions for Rangers and showcased his dominant defending in the Premiership.

 

The Scottish colossus won 71% of his duels against opposition players across 28 games in the league, helping Butland to keep as many clean sheets as he did.