Wilson must strike big Rangers deal for "outstanding" £14k-p/w "leader", GVB needs him - opinion

An update has emerged on Rangers centre-back Filip Helander and his future at Ibrox under Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

The Gers central defender has confirmed that he is yet to speak with the club over a contract extension in Glasgow, with his current deal expiring in the summer of 2023.

He told Fotbollskanalen: “No, we have not talked so far. But there is more than a year left. We’ll see what happens.”

Leon Balogun and Connor Goldson are both out of contract this summer and will leave huge holes in the Gers squad if they both depart on free transfers. Whilst John Souttar is set to come in from Hearts and Ross Wilson may look to dip into the market again to bolster the club’s options, continuity is required to avoid the core of the team being ripped apart.

This is why Wilson must strike a deal with Helander to extend his current contract to ensure that his future is not away from Ibrox. The experienced defender is a proven Premiership performer, with 59 appearances and seven goals for the club, and knows what it takes to play for Rangers. As a result, it’s clear to see why van Bronckhorst needs him.

Ex-Gers boss Steven Gerrard previously dubbed him as “outstanding” and a  “leader” and this shows that he has caught the eye for the Scottish giants in his time in Glasgow to date.

Therefore, van Bronckhorst knows that he can trust the Sweden international to go out on the pitch and do a solid job for him at centre-back. Whereas, there would be doubts over new signings as they will be at the start of their Ibrox careers and may not be able to handle the pressure of playing for such a big club with expectations of challenging for the title.

Last season, Helander averaged an excellent SofaScore rating of 7.10 across 22 appearances