St Mirren goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky has admitted that Steven Gerrard’s Rangers have been in touch about a potential move to Ibrox.
St Mirren manager Jim Goodwin will be pleading with Rangers target Vaclav Hladky to stay in Paisley until the end of the season, admitting to the Herald that the Czech goalkeeper would be almost impossible to replace in January.
Where would St Mirren be without arguably the best shot-stopper in the Scottish top flight?
Well, they probably wouldn’t even be a Premiership side right now. It was Hladky’s three penalty saves in a dramatic shoot-out victory in May’s relegation play-off over Dundee United which kept the Buddies in the first division.
But, with the 29-year-old due to become a free agent at the end of this season, Goodwin is facing up to the prospect of losing his talisman – potentially to leave rivals Rangers.
“To replace Vaclav with a goalkeeper of a similar level wouldn’t be possible with the money that we would have available. So the ideal situation for us as a club is to hold on to him,” Goodwin admitted.
“We have contingency plans in place in case he does leave next month but I think it’s too difficult a position to replace.
St Mirren fans can sleep a little easier tonight however with the manager claiming that Hladky would be happy to stay until his contract expires in July.
Speaking to the Scottish Sun in November, the former Slovan Liberec stopper claimed that Rangers had got in touch with his representatives about a potential move to Ibrox and, a few weeks later, he admited to Czech publication Denik that he loves living in Glasgow.
But a summer move appears to suit all parties far better than a January switch. Rangers themselves are set to lose Wes Foderingham on a free at the end of the campaign, by which time Hladky will be ready and waiting to step into his shoes.
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