Fans disappointed as Balogun leaves Rangers
Many fans were unhappy that an extension was not agreed with Balogun despite doing well in his two-year stint at Ibrox
Many Rangers fans have expressed disappointment at the news of Leon Balogun’s Ibrox departure
The Berlin-born Nigeria international has come to the end of the road in terms of his Rangers career but another club will do very well to sign up the 33-year old.
Following Brighton, Wigan and Rangers, a return to Germany could be on the cards for the central defender but one thing for sure is that he will leave Glasgow with the best wishes of everyone from a Gers perspective.
The two-year relationship between player and club was a positive one, a successful one and also mutually beneficial.
Many fans were unhappy that an extension was not agreed with Balogun but now the defensive picture is a bit more clear for the moment.
Connor Goldson, Calvin Bassey, Filip Helander, John Souttar and Leon King remain. James Sands and John Lundstram can provide further back up.
There is also Niko Katic who will return for pre-season training despite having a seemingly slim chance of prolonging his time at Ibrox.
Benefit
For Leon King in particular, it is very important that he gets game time. Unless he goes out on loan to play first-team football elsewhere, space will need to be made to continue his development as part of the first-team squad.
With four other senior central defenders in place, it is very unlikely that another will arrive at Ibrox unless a sale follows. For different reasons, Helander and Bassey could come under that spotlight.
Still only 18, King will arguably benefit from staying around the squad, learning from the coaches and his peers as well as pushing himself to strive to give the manager a difficult decision in defence.
He appears ready and capable for the challenge, with plenty of time on his side.
