Barry Ferguson Backs John Souttar's Move from Rangers

Barry Ferguson has thrown his weight behind John Souttar as the defender prepares to leave Rangers, insisting any club landing him is getting a “top centre-half”.

Souttar was told at the start of pre-season that he was not part of Derek McInnes’ plans and should find a new club, despite only recently signing a one-year contract extension at Ibrox. Now 29, the Scotland international looks set to move on, with Aris understood to have an agreement in place and the player expected in Greece shortly.

For many Rangers supporters, Souttar’s exit will feel abrupt. He has been an influential figure in recent seasons, a steady presence when fit and a strong character in the dressing room. His problem has rarely been ability. It has been availability.

Ferguson, who worked closely with Souttar during his spell as interim manager, cannot understand why the centre-back has been frozen out so completely.

“I worked very closely with John for three months, and I've got to be honest with you, he was outstanding for me,” Ferguson said on the Go Radio Football Show on 10 September. “A real good professional. He was a really good leader in the dressing room.

“It was a surprise not being involved since the start of the season. Wherever he goes, they're getting a top centre-half in my opinion.”

That is the crux of the frustration. McInnes, who knows exactly how much pressure comes with the Rangers job after a European exit, has chosen to go into a critical domestic campaign without a player many consider a proven option at this level.

Rangers face Celtic at Ibrox in the Premier Sports Cup quarter-final on 13 September, the first real chance to put a trophy marker down. McInnes is expected to deliver silverware this season. Every decision, every omission, will be judged through that lens.

And yet at centre-back, he has left himself light. Emmanuel Fernandez, Olwethu Makhanya and Ben Godfrey are the three he will lean on as Rangers chase honours on all three domestic fronts. Souttar, with his experience and voice, will watch that challenge unfold from afar.

If Aris complete the deal, they will be getting a defender Ferguson still views as the “chosen one” in that role: a leader, a talker, a player who has come through injuries and scrutiny and still carries the respect of a Rangers great.

McInnes has made his call. The season will decide whether he was right to let Souttar walk out of Ibrox just when his know-how might have mattered most.