Senior Rangers player throws McInnes’ Celtic preparations into chaos with absurd demand

Rangers‘ injury list is not making Derek McInnes’ job any easier ahead of his first Old Firm.

With Youssef Chermiti and Lawrence Shankland both facing long-term spells on the sidelines, McInnes is short on options up front heading into the clash with Celtic, leading Bojan Miovski to return to the fold having intially fallen out of favour under the new manager.

The Macedonian striker wanted out of Ibrox this summer and even fired his own agent when the move failed to materialise. And according to Pete O’Rourke this week, the 27 year-old still wants to leave Ibrox, despite finding a dramatic winner against St Mirren in midweek.

Speaking on the Transfer Insider podcast, O’Rourke explained: “The agent drama obviously illustrates that the player is not happy with how things are going for him right now at Rangers, but I think looking at the bigger picture, he’s going to be needed in the upcoming weeks and months because of the injury problems that they’ve got up front.”

It seems he isn’t the only Rangers player looking for the exit door, though.

John Souttar’s proposed move away from Ibrox has hit turbulence, leading the 29 year-old to launch an unusual request ahead of the Greek transfer deadline on Tuesday evening. The defender was reportedly closing in on a switch to Aris Thessaloniki, with a medical and a three-year deal seemingly just around the corner, but an Aris spokesperson revealed the deal has stalled.

Now, the Scotland international is understood to want Rangers to pay up the remainder of his contract, which runs until summer 2027, before he’ll commit to the move to Greece, leaving both sides at an impasse. Both clubs are said to be frustrated by the situation, but remain hopeful a deal can be ironed out before their window slams shut on September 15.

Souttar has been strongly linked with several other exits in recent months, including a reunion with former Rangers boss Russell Martin at Leicester City, plus interest from MLS clubs. There have also been reports of Hearts – the club he came through the ranks at before his Ibrox move – keen on bringing him back to Tynecastle.

McInnes himself admitted earlier this week that Souttar’s Rangers career could be coming to an end regardless of how the Aris saga plays out, stating that the defender has been told his long-term future likely lies away from Ibrox and that he still has good opportunities on the table.

All in all, it’s a messy situation for the manager to be dealing with just hours out from facing Celtic. Between Miovski’s very public discontent and Souttar’s stalled exit demands, the manager now has to manage a dressing room with at least two senior players openly angling for the door – all while trying to paper over the cracks left by his injury list.

It’s fair to say a distraction-free build-up to his first Old Firm derby was probably too much to ask for.