The outstanding summer addition has established himself as one of the Light Blues’ main players.
Before leaving the team in October of last year, former Glasgow Rangers manager Michael Beale did not have the best of seasons.
After failing to win any trophy in just over ten months at Ibrox, the former Gers assistant was fired and replaced by Philippe Clement earlier this season.
The English tactician was allowed to bring in nine new signings to bolster his squad throughout the summer transfer window and question marks remain over many of them.
Both Sam Lammers and Jose Cifuentes, who signed long-term contracts, were already moved to Cruzerio and FC Utrecht, respectively, last month. Kieran Dowell, a former star of Norwich City, has only appeared in seven Scottish Premiership games since moving.
But when Beale signed Jack Butland on a free transfer from Premier League team Crystal Palace in advance of the 2023–2024 season, he pulled off a rare masterstroke.
Jack Butland’s market value last summer
The former England international was technically valued at £0 last summer as the Eagles opted to release him for nothing at the end of last season.
This allowed Beale and the Gers to swoop in to sign him for nothing after he had spent the second half of last term on loan as a back-up with Manchester United.
Throughout the first half of the season, Butland did not play any games for his parent club and did not make an appearance for the Red Devils.
Rangers took a risk by signing a 30-year-old player who hadn’t booted or saved a ball in anger in more than a year, but the Scottish powerhouses have greatly benefited from the move.
Jack Butland’s current value
Former Rangers player Derek Ferguson called Butland “phenomenal” in an interview with IbroxNews earlier this month, adding that the club would need to raise about £20 million before considering a transfer.
That happened not long after the Light Blues were said to have rejected a January transfer window approach from Premier League team Nottingham Forest.
It’s interesting to note that Stoke City valued the 30-year-old behemoth at an astounding £30 million back in 2019. This £20 million value shows that the titan is returning to his peak.
| Scottish Premiership | Jack Butland – 23/24 | Allan McGregor – 22/23 |
|---|---|---|
| Appearances | 24 | 24 |
| Save success rate | 79% | 57% |
| Clean sheets | 15 | Eight |
| Sofascore rating | 7.06 | 6.68 |
As you can see in the table above, Butland has been a huge upgrade on Allan McGregor this season with a significantly better save success rate and average performance level in the Premiership.
The English giant has racked up 20 clean sheets and conceded 29 goals in 39 appearances for the club in all competitions this term, which means that he is averaging less than one goal conceded per match.
These statistics show that Rangers improved their team and landed a terrific performer by securing Butland’s services for £0 from Palace last summer.
Therefore, Beale played a rare transfer blinder with the former Stoke star, who is now being touted at £20m, whether a team would be willing to pay that or not, and one he should be praised for.
