Rangers first-teamer Tom Lawrence’s future is in jeopardy as his contract is coming to an end due to yet another injury setback.
When the former Manchester United player’s contract with Derby County expired, the 29-year-old offensive midfielder signed a three-year contract with Rangers, which is now in its final year.
With several Premier League clubs showing interest, Rangers pulled off a coup by signing the former Rams captain on a free transfer.
However, Tom Lawrence’s two and a half years in Glasgow have been marred by injuries, so things haven’t gone as planned for the midfielder at Ibrox.
The future of the high-earning Ibrox senior is now uncertain as Philippe Clement pledges to change Rangers’ much-maligned contract scheme.
That’s despite the fact Rangers have the option of signing Lawrence down to another year in Glasgow.
Tom Lawrence out for ‘up to six weeks’
Former Rangers chairman John Bennett hailed Rangers’ acquisition of Tom Lawrence as a marquee signing under the management of Giovanni van Bronckhorst at Ibrox. But after an initially bright start at Rangers, the Welsh international’s time in Glasgow has been devastated by a string of injury problems.
A serious Achilles injury cut Lawrence’s first season at Rangers short before surgery on the recurring problem and a stuttering recovery badly impacted the midfielder’s second campaign at Ibrox. Now, Philippe Clement has confirmed that Lawrence will be out for up to six weeks after going off injured in the Premier Sports Cup victory over Motherwell at Hampden. “Tom (Lawrence) got injured in the cup semi-final, like you saw. So he will be out for several weeks,” said Clement ahead of the Europa League clash with Olympiacos. “Four to six weeks. “So he will not be there the next couple of weeks.
“He’s been important. He took the role really well this season, scored several really important goals but not only that, also in the play, also defensive wise. “But it gives chances to other players to prove themselves. It’s like that in football.
Rangers contract situation ‘can never happen again’
Given that Tom Lawrence is officially entering the last year of his contract, the scenario has cast serious doubt on the midfielder’s future at Rangers.
In the summer of 2022, Lawrence agreed to a three-year contract with Rangers that was worth an incredible £3.5 million (Salary Sport).
Rangers insiders Heart & Hand stated at the time that the midfield player also had a one-year contract option.
Rangers’ former contract and squad management philosophy, which concentrated on acquiring well-known players from the south at exorbitant salaries, has drawn open criticism from Philippe Clement.
Alfredo Morelos, Filip Helander, Ryan Kent, Borna Barisic, John Lundstram, Kemar Roofe, and even Connor Goldson are among the high-paid, excellent players who have had contracts with Rangers expire in recent seasons.
All of these players have departed for nothing, Goldson included.
The Gers have to offer Lawrence a longer-term contract or let the midfield player go in the summer since Rangers is approaching the transfer market in a more youthful manner.
The Belgian manager has previously explained that releasing players on a free ‘can never be allowed to happen again’. “This season to have five players out of contract is a crazy situation because you throw away money,” Clement said in January. “They have no value any more if the contract is ended. “I know that we are not the most wealthy club in the world. We want to get transfers in that can have an impact now but also can have added value for the next couple of years on the field and selling them for bigger amounts.
If you look at the last couple of years, this is one thing that the club has missed. They didn’t have big outgoing transfers and because of that, not getting money in to do other things.
“That is one of the targets, strange as it is for a manager to talk about that but I want to help in that way so the club can grow in every sense.
“It is getting a good balance in the squad, good experienced players and also young prospects that you can let grow to a higher level than Glasgow Rangers. That is the objective. And you need to have players who are in contract.
“So there is a lot of work to be done in that way, everybody in the club is working hard in that way to have clear vision of how to bring money into the club by developing players but getting results also, winning trophies.
“You don’t have the situation where you have players of value going free at the end of contract – it can never happen.”
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