If only Filip Helander’s body was as robust as Connor Goldson’s.
For a start, the second half of the 2019/20 season might have ended differently had the big Swede been around when George Edmundson and Niko Katic were regularly having nightmares as we gifted Celtic the chance to be handed the title via a Zoom call.
Then, there is the frailty in our current defence that sees us struggling to keep clean sheets when once they were the norm, Helander, apparently taking great offence at allowing even a speculative shot on target making it’s way through to Allan McGregor or Jon McLaughlin in the Rangers goal, nowadays, it’s open season – the first two goals that we lost against Hibs wouldn’t have been lost on his watch.
Every season it appears that Helander suffers an injury that keeps him out for a long period of time, he has confessed previously to always having to take pain killers but it is how susceptible he is to trauma/joint issues that is the frustration and not niggly muscle complaints that would see him miss just a couple of games from time to time.
After what we have seen recently added to Goldson’s contract issue and the likelihood of Calvin Bassey and Leon Balogun heading off for the African Cup of Nations, I’d be very surprised if we don’t sign a new centre-half almost as soon as the January transfer window opens – and this is without taking into consideration that we have a new manager in charge.
The good thing is, is that there are decent options out there; John Souttar, Danilho Doekhi, Riechedly Bazoer and even Eliaquim Mangala are all either out of contract or into the last six months, they wouldn’t cost a fortune, unless Helander fancies playing in bubble wrap very week, we don’t really have another choice.