Rangers flop who “will always make 3 or 4 howlers” is becoming Barisic 2.0

The January transfer window is due to open for business next week and there are some big calls that will have to be made by Danny Rohl and the board at Glasgow Rangers.

Whilst there will be a lot of attention on who they bring in to bolster the squad, as new signings are always exciting, there should also be some focus on who they need to move on from the club.

One of the toughest parts of squad building is knowing when the right time to move a player on is. The Light Blues have suffered because they have failed to time departures right in the past, such as was the case with Borna Barisic.

Why Rangers let Borna Barisic go too late

The Croatia international spent six years at Ibrox as a left-back for the likes of Steven Gerrard, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Michael Beale, and Philippe Clement, making 236 appearances in all competitions, per Transfermarkt.

In his last season with the Gers, though, the left-footed star’s performances regressed, and he was not the same player he once was at Ibrox.

After recording nine assists in 30 Scottish Premiership matches in the 2022/23 campaign, the summer of 2023 may have been the perfect time for the club to cash in on Barisic, as his contract only had 12 months left to run at that point.

Instead, they kept hold of the Croatian defender and, as you can see in the statistics above, his performances in and out of possession regressed in the 2023/24 campaign.

Barisic then left on a free transfer at the end of the season, as Clement opted to go in a new direction at left-back, and Rangers may have ended up regretting not letting go of him sooner.

The current Rangers star who is in danger of becoming the new Barisic

There is now a current Light Blues player who is in danger of becoming the new version of Barisic at Ibrox, as they have regressed on the pitch.

In the summer transfer window, Rangers were reportedly interested in a deal to sign Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Pierce Charles, but they ended the window without adding a new goalkeeper to Russell Martin’s ranks.

That is a decision that they may now regret because first-choice goalkeeper Jack Butland has been far too error-prone in the 2025/26 campaign, and has regressed with each passing season in Glasgow.

The English shot-stopper was somehow beaten at his near post by Lawrence Shankland in the 2-1 loss to Hearts on Sunday, and it was his seventh error leading to a shot or goal already this season, per Sofascore.

After that loss, journalist Jonny McFarlane posted that “Butland, no matter how well he’s playing, will always make three or four howlers a season”, which has, unfortunately, been true since the start of the 2024/25 campaign.

As you can see in the table above, the former England international made five errors leading to shots or goals in the Scottish Premiership and Europa League combined last term, which was four more than his first season at the club.

That regression in his consistency clearly sounded some alarm bells inside Ibrox because they were then interested in a deal to sign Charles from Sheffield Wednesday, possibly to replace Butland.

However, Rangers opted to back their man by avoiding any new goalkeeper signings, and they have been punished for that support, as he has already made more errors than he did in the entirety of last season.

As was the case with Barisic, it seems like the Light Blues have held on to Butland a season too long, and there could be a decision for Rohl to make in January, as a new goalkeeper to challenge the Englishman could be needed.

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