Other than thinking that Jon McLaughlin is now the better option to be our number one next season, there is another reason why extending the deal of Allan McGregor might prove to be costly.
Chris Jack of the Herald an Times publications, reported that Robby McCrorie is unhappy at the prospect of being third choice for another season after spending his last few years until the 2021/22 campaign as a regular starter at various levels throughout the SPFL, earning plenty of plaudits along the way.
At 24-years old, McCrorie is, ironically, exactly the same age as McGregor when he first entertained the thought of leaving Rangers, good form under Paul le Guen being ignored with the hapless manager turning to his more experienced keeper, ultimately costing him his job in the process.
McCrorie has had a pretty linear progression from being a teenager, has played for Scotland at every level and was even called up to the senior squad recently, the only dip he has experienced was in a Livingston team that was struggling collectively and found himself dropped for Max Stryjek who himself is a decent stopper.
He has made just two appearances for the first-team and kept two clean sheets, in a must win Europa League play-off game against Alashkert and against Celtic in the first Old Firm derby of last season, he didn’t look out of place in either despite it being a small sample size.
This is my main worry with offering McGregor, Steven Davis and Scott Arfield extensions, yes, they can still do a good job. But a what price? Are they that good that it is acceptable to lose talented youngsters and home grown players who have become disillusioned at the pathway to the first-team being blocked? Not for me, however, Giovanni van Bronckhorst sees these players every day and, for once, I’m going to have to – reluctantly – accept his judgement.