Departing Albion defender Goldson says desire to play spurred Rangers move

Connor Goldson says his desire for regular game time spurred his move from Brighton & Hove Albion to Glasgow Rangers.
Albion defender Connor Goldson. Picture by Phil Westlake (PW Sporting Photography)Albion defender Connor Goldson. Picture by Phil Westlake (PW Sporting Photography)
Albion defender Connor Goldson. Picture by Phil Westlake (PW Sporting Photography)

The 25-year-old signed a four-year deal at Ibrox earlier this week.

Albion were keen to keep the popular central defender, but he had grown frustrated at his lack of football having made just two Premier League starts and one substitute appearance last term.

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The eagerness to play was made even sharper having had to have preventative heart surgery in February last year when a screening found a problem.

The former Shrewsbury Town player made a full recovery and was playing again five months later.

On his move, he told the Rangers’ website: “I am delighted to join Rangers – even though it hasn’t taken that long to sign it seems like it has taken forever. I am just pleased to finally get it done and to get the chance to showcase my abilities at a massive club with a huge fan base.

“I probably could have stayed at Brighton. They weren’t really desperate for me to go but I think at this stage, at 25 years old and with the operation I obviously had, it just made me hungrier to want to play football.

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“That put a lot of things in perspective and one of those things was to just play as much as I could. Every time I have been given a chance to play I have always done well.

“I am a player who has always played, apart from in the past two years.

“Those two years have been tough for me personally but now I have the opportunity to get back playing every week and show what I can do.

“I am tall, I am athletic, I can move, I am quite quick and I like to think I am good on the ball, I always want the ball and I want to play. That has been drilled into me from a young age and even more so at Brighton.”

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A childhood Liverpool fan, the chance to link up with new Gers manager Steven Gerrard was also a factor for Goldson.

He added: “Now he is my manager and I want to be able to learn off him as a coach and as a manager. I don’t really think there is going to be time for me to be star-struck and be in awe of him.”