Glasgow Rangers were in the market to sign a new central defender in the recent January transfer window to bolster their depth in that position.
Philippe Clement and Nils Koppen eyed up a player in that role, due to injuries to the likes of John Souttar, Dujon Sterling, and Leon Balogun, and eventually brought in Rafael Fernandes on loan from Lille.
He has been an unused substitute three times and his only start so far came in the embarrassing 1-0 defeat to second tier outfit Queen’s Park in the SFA Cup.
Another player who was linked with a move to Ibrox in the January window was former Rangers defender Nikola Katic, who went on to sign for Plymouth Argyle instead.
Niko Katic's current market value
The Bosnia international joined the Championship team on loan from FC Zurich and is currently valued at just €1.5m (£1.2m) by Transfermarkt.
Despite his unimpressive market value, Katic, who made 59 appearances for Rangers, has caught the eye with some impressive performances for the Pilgrims.
The former Gers titan made a whopping 17 clearances and won five of his six duels in a historic 1-0 win over Premier League giants Liverpool in the FA Cup.
Katic has also won 65% of his duels across five appearances in the Championship for Plymouth, showing that he has hit the ground running as a dominant defender.
Rangers, however, have already hit the jackpot on their own dominant, 28-year-old, centre-back in the form of Scotland international John Souttar.
Rangers hit the jackpot with John Souttar
The Light Blues signed the Scottish defender on a free transfer from Hearts in the summer of 2022, and he was valued at £1.2m by Transfermarkt at the time of that move.
Market Movers
Souttar endured a frustrating debut campaign at Ibrox as he missed 50 games for club and country with an ankle injury, which caused his value to drop to £1m. He did not allow that setback to put him down, however, and has bounced back to become an incredibly valuable member of the squad.
July 2022
£1.2m
July 2023
£1m
March 2024
£2m
May 2024
£2.5m
October 2024
£2.9m
December 2024 – present
£3.7m
As you can see in the table above, his value has since soared by millions to the point where he is now worth more than three times as much as Katic, who is the same age as the Rangers star.
In the Scottish Premiership this season, Souttar has started 16 games for the Gers and caught the eye with his dominant defensive work – winning 69% of his ground duels and 63% of his aerial battles.
The 28-year-old colossus, who was hailed as “unbelievable” by international teammate Andy Robertson, has also won a staggering 87% of his duels across seven appearances in the Europa League so far this term.
This shows that Souttar has been a rock at the heart of the Rangers defence, rarely allowing opposition players to get the better of him, which is why the club hit the jackpot when they signed him back in 2022.
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ByRoss KilvingtonMar 2, 2025
Not only did they sign an excellent defender who has performed well on the pitch, but they also signed a valuable asset whose market valuation has soared in recent years.