Jack Butland exit wish emerges at worst possible time at Ibrox

It came at the worst possible time for the Gers to hear that Jack Butland is eager to leave Rangers and return to the Premier League.

The Englishman expressed his desire to leave Ibrox after just one season, according to a report published on April 11 by the Belgian news site DHN. Arnaud Bodart, the custodian for Standard Liege, was mentioned as a potential replacement.
Following the publication of that story, which coincided with a 3-3 draw between Rangers and Celtic in the Old Firm derby, the team has experienced two negative outcomes that have seriously damaged their chances of winning the Scottish Premiership.

Three days later, on April 17, the Gers were held to a scoreless draw at Dundee after suffering a startling 3-2 loss at Ross County on April 14.

Due to their mishandled advantage that would have seen them win the league, Rangers now sit second in the standings, three points behind Celtic and with a worse goal differential.

For the Rangers, losing Jack Butland would be devastating.

Since leaving Crystal Palace for Rangers on a free transfer in the summer, Butland has clearly been an unqualified success.

With the exception of the Scottish FA Cup fourth round trip to Dumbarton, he has played the entire 90 minutes in every game this season across all competitions. He has made 51 starts overall.

Rangers have only let up 23 goals in 33 league games when he is on the field; prior to their recent slump, that number was 17 in 30.

As the Gers’ season starts to fall apart, the uncertainty surrounding their star goalkeeper’s future couldn’t have come at a worse time. John Lundstram, the midfielder, is also the subject of similar rumours.

In addition to trying to pull in Celtic ahead of the final stretch, head coach Philippe Clement will need his team to be completely focused on winning a second trophy this season after winning the Scottish League Cup. On April 21, they will play Hearts in the Scottish FA Cup semi-final.