There is now a very real possibility Rangers are going to lose John Lundstram this summer for free, and Ibrox Noise looks into the issue, the argument, and shockingly, our opinion on the matter.
The short version, as we’ve covered a tonne of times on the site, is that the 30-year-old wants a pay raise in line with the club’s better earners, and being on a number around £22,000 a week, he wants more like 30.
The club sees Lunny’s resale value as non-existent, and any new contract is a one-way investment with no return, and at £30k a week, that’s around £1.5M for a season.
That’s the financial basics, and he’s well aware his age counts against him.
So, where do Ibrox Noise sit on this one?
We honestly believe the trading model installed by Philippe Clement, which is bang on and we support it 100%, needs to have discretion and exceptions.
Lundstram is Rangers’ best and most productive midfielder, who is an adopted Bear now and loves life at Ibrox. He doesn’t want to leave.
We believe the trading model, which will benefit Rangers in the long-term, needs to be used wisely as well, and accept there will be exceptions to the rule – and Lunny is one of them.
Yes, if he signs a new contract it’s money with no likely direct return, but his midfield influence could pay for itself with 56 this season and Champions League participation.
That would be a whopping £50M-£70M next season as our numbers have revealed in recent times – in short, disrupting midfield and potentially losing the lad over a matter of £1.5M doesn’t, we think, make sense.
We absolutely support the trading model – we do need to reduce the age of the playing squad and possess more tradable assets we can profit on.
But not every squad member needs critically to fit into this, and if Rangers’ board decide not to give Lunny the deal he wants and opt to let him walk away, more than just the big Scouser may be lost from that.
Philippe Clement has not said anything publicly but we’re pretty sure he wants to hold onto the boy, and in a way he probably holds the cards here.
If Clement tells the board they should pay Lunny what he wants, we suspect it’s likely to happen. But then perhaps it’s just not his place to exert that kind of influence.
Ultimately we think this is an expenditure Rangers can’t really afford not to make.