Paddy Kenny has offered his thoughts on Rangers goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin's contract situation...
What's the talk?
Kenny has suggested that McLaughlin should be handed a new deal before the January transfer window in order to secure his future at the club.
The 'keeper's current deal ends next summer and the pundit believes that his campaign so far could tempt Rangers to pin him down to fresh terms.
"He could absolutely be in for a new deal. He’s had an unbelievable start to the year. The more involved he is, the more likely they are to give him a new contract.
“Him and McGregor have played a similar amount of games. If that continues, I’m sure they’ll be looking to tie that area up and give him a bit of stability. He doesn’t want to be playing regularly but not knowing where he stands. Who does that benefit?
“So it would be better for everyone if they got that one sorted out soon, maybe even before January."
Save millions
Rangers chief Ross Wilson now has a key decision to make on McLaughlin. At the age of 34, he has almost six years on Allan McGregor and could be the club's number one for the next few years if the latter decides to retire at the end of his current deal in 2022.
The Gers could opt to bring in a younger goalkeeper to compete for the number one spot if McGregor retires, but McLaughlin still has plenty to give and could be a useful player to keep around in the coming years. Thus, by handing him a new deal, they could save millions on having to recruit a new stopper.
The £6.1k-per-week earner could sign fresh terms and thus, stay on to become the club's definitive number one option between the posts.
McLaughlin has averaged an excellent SofaScore rating of 7.02 in four Scottish Premiership appearances this season, keeping two clean sheets in those games. Last season, he averaged a score of 7.12 and kept nine clean sheets in 11 matches, showing that he has the quality to be a reliable shot-stopper between the sticks. Consequently, he certainly deserves a new deal at Ibrox.
Wilson must sanction a fresh contract for the 34-year-old and keep him at the club for the foreseeable future to maintain the strength of the goalkeeping department.
It remains to be seen what will happen with McGregor's future, given he is turning 40 in January, but McLaughlin putting pen to paper should be a relatively easy decision going by his form on the pitch.
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