Rangers have recently been linked with a move for St. Mirren’s goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky. Reports from the Scottish Sun suggested that the Glaswegian giants will move in for him if Wes Foderingham doesn’t decide to extend his stay at Ibrox. Rangers could move for Hladky in January to sign him on a pre-contract deal.
Even the goalkeeper recently came out and said that he is in negotiations with Rangers. But the Czech custodian added that he would prefer a move down the south. Hladky recently said (Daily Record), ”Rangers are interested in me and some negotiations are underway. But playing in England is the big dream. The biggest dream is to play in the Premier League, but that is a big jump.”
However, Steven Gerrard poured some cold water about the recent rumours and the goalkeeper’s claim as well. The manager said (Daily Record), ”That’s just all his agent. He must be telling him that. I know nothing about that.”
The manager busted all the claims made by previous reports and by the player himself as he claimed that he doesn’t know about any deal which is taking place regarding Hladky. Something like this is nothing new as football agents often gas up the players about potential switch happening to create a buzz in the market.
Hladky clearly went out of his way and almost issued a come and get me plea to Championship and Premier League clubs by saying that Rangers are in negotiations with him.
Do Rangers need Hladky?
However, it cannot be ignored that Rangers will need a new goalkeeper if Foderingham goes on to depart from the club in the summer of 2020. Even Allan McGregor is also in the final year of his contract, but Gerrard has indicated that the Scotsman would be given a new deal based on his form and his recent performances.
Hladky played a crucial role in keeping St. Mirren in the Scottish top flight as he saved all the penalties in the shootout which he faced in the playoffs against Dundee United. The 28-year-old has been rock solid for St. Mirren ever since his arrival and the club has also accepted that he will move on to better and bigger things in the future given his talent.
As a backup option, he is definitely worth considering if Foderingham goes on to depart from the club. However, as things stand, it doesn’t seem like Rangers have made any contact with Hladky yet and it remains to be seen what Rangers’ stance would be in the future on the goalkeeper.
