Rangers confirm another goalkeeper has completed an exit from the club this summer

Rangers confirm another goalkeeper has completed an exit from the club this summer

Rangers have confirmed the loan exit of teenage goalkeeper Jacob Pazikas to join Stranraer this summer. The club’s Rangers B & Academy announced via Twitter on 21 June that the 19-year-old has joined the Scottish club for the upcoming campaign.

Pazikas has yet to make a senior appearance for the Light Blues and spent last season on loan with the Civil Service Strollers in the Lowland League, where he kept seven clean sheets in 23 appearances.

 

 

His departure rules him out of stepping up to the first-team following the confirmed exit of Jon McLaughlin, and the expected departure of Robby McCrorie who has turned down a contract extension at Ibrox [Daily Record, 4 June].

Robby McCrorie and Jack Butland could leave Rangers this summer

Pazikas’ loan in isolation is little surprise but comes in the context of a transfer window that has already seen one keeper make a permanent departure in McLaughlin, with the potential for three more to leave in some form before the summer is over.

McCrorie is 26 and has spent his entire senior career as a Light Blues player but has only made seven first-team appearances amid numerous loans so clearly needs to move on if he isn’t going to be Philippe Clement’s number one.

While star man Jack Butland is still in Glasgow there is only going to be one man at the top of the pecking order, although there has long been speculation that big-money transfer offers could come in for the former Crystal Palace man.

So far at least there appears not to be a market for him to return to the Premier League [Alan Nixon, 28 May] and Clement will hope it stays that way.

Liam Kelly is expected to return to Ibrox after leaving Motherwell [Sky Sports, 18 June] as the primary back-up, but who might full the third spot is yet to be seen. Kieran Wright might be the next most obvious candidate, but at 25 and with zero appearances for the club to his name he is in a very similar position to McCrorie and has been tipped to leave himself [Rangers Review, 5 June].

Unless Clement and Nils Koppen sign another keeper along with Kelly then they will presumably be promoting from the academy, but evidently it won’t be Pazikas who comes up. In other Rangers news, a new Lawrence Shankland to Ibrox verdict has been issued with a Gers man expected to leave.

Get more related news on http://sportviewers.com