Barry Ferguson Backs John Souttar's Departure from Rangers

Barry Ferguson has thrown his weight behind John Souttar as the defender prepares to leave Rangers, insisting the club are losing a leader as much as a player.

Souttar was told at the start of pre-season that he was not part of Derek McInnes’ plans and should find a new club, a brutal clarity that has hung over his final weeks at Ibrox. Now, with Aris having reached an agreement to sign him and the centre-back expected in Greece shortly, his exit is edging towards completion.

It comes only months after he signed a one-year contract extension with the Light Blues, a deal that once suggested there was still a role for him in Govan. Instead, he has been frozen out and left to train in the shadows while McInnes reshaped his defence.

Ferguson, who worked closely with Souttar during a three-month spell as interim manager, cannot quite get his head around it.

Speaking on the Go Radio Football Show on 10 September, the former Rangers captain was unequivocal in his praise. “I worked very closely with John for three months, and I've got to be honest with you, he was outstanding for me. 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.”

Those are not throwaway compliments. Ferguson knows what a Rangers dressing room demands, and he is adamant Souttar met that standard. For him, the 29-year-old is not just another squad player being moved on, but a voice, an organiser, someone who understands the weight of the shirt.

Souttar’s time at Ibrox has been punctured by fitness issues, a recurring theme that has prevented him from stringing together the kind of long, dominant run that once seemed inevitable in his early career. When available, though, he has been an influential presence, steady in possession and vocal without the ball.

That is what makes McInnes’ stance so stark. With Rangers already out of Europe, every domestic competition carries extra pressure. The Scottish manager is expected to deliver silverware, and quickly. The first chance comes in the Premier Sports Cup, with Ibrox hosting Celtic in a high-stakes quarter-final on 13 September.

On nights like that, experience matters. So does depth.

Yet McInnes has chosen to go into a demanding season with only three recognised centre-backs he truly trusts: Emmanuel Fernandez, Olwethu Makhanya and Ben Godfrey. It is a lean group for a club that intends to challenge on all three domestic fronts.

Having Souttar as cover, or even as competition, would hardly have weakened Rangers’ hand. If anything, it might have given McInnes one more option when injuries bite or form dips, as they inevitably do over a long campaign.

Instead, Aris are set to benefit. The Greek side will gain a Scotland international with a point to prove and a respected figure in the dressing room, backed publicly by one of Rangers’ modern icons.

Rangers, by contrast, head into a defining spell having willingly cut loose a player Barry Ferguson still calls a “top centre-half”. In a season where margins will be thin and expectations unforgiving, McInnes has made his choice at the back. The real verdict will come when the trophies are handed out.