Rangers hero Scott Arfield's damning verdict on summer signings with just 1 player 'living up' to expectation

Former Rangers midfielder Scott Arfield has given an honest review of the current Light Blues squad - while he was complimentary towards a few members of the team, he thinks that there is a deep rooted ‘anxiety’ at the Ibrox Stadium at the moment.

Furthermore, he also questioned their transfer activity in recent years, saying that only one of their summer signings - Connor Barron - has been able to ‘hit the ground running’. He was very complimentary towards the former Aberdeen man, saying he has done ‘exceptionally well’.

Additionally, he also namedropped several players who he thinks Rangers are missing after their respective departures. He mentioned that they are missing ‘characters’ such as Connor Goldson, John Lundstram and Ryan Jack to hold things together.

Arfield played for Rangers between the years of 2018 and 2013 - he made 114 Scottish Premiership appearances during his time with the Gers, scoring 29 goals along the way. He was part of the squad that won the Scottish Premiership in 2021 and also won the Scottish Cup in 2022.

Outside of Rangers, Arfield played for clubs such as Falkirk, Huddersfield Town and Burnley - currently, he plays for Bolton Wanderers in League One. Despite being born in Scotland and playing for the Tartan Army’s youth team, he chose to represent Canada on the international stage. In total, he won 19 caps for the Canucks, scoring two goals.

What did Scott Arfield say about the struggles that Rangers are currently facing?

Speaking on Premier Sports’ Scottish Football Social Club on YouTube, Arfield said: “There are players who have come [to Rangers] who are just not up to the expectation. It does take time [to bed in]; I didn’t score my first goal until around this time of the season. But it seems that over the last year, there is no one player who has really hit the ground running.

“Connor Barron’s maybe the only one. He’s done exceptionally well to come in under a new system with different demands - it just shows you how well he’s done. I can’t think of anybody else, which is such a shame. If this club wants to get back to where it was, players need to step up in big moments.

“I think some big characters left [last season]. Players like Ryan Jack, players like [John Lundstram]. Lunny was playing every game when he was fit. Connor Goldson was another one, [he was] so, so important to that team, so vocal.

“Jack Butland is clearly one that faces up and tells it how it is. [There is also] the John Souttars, the [James] Taverniers, who will continuously put themselves in front of you and will always be on the line.

“I think Rangers do have characters at the moment but whatever anxiety is in the team has to disappear. The fans aren’t going to disappear; they’re demanding an expectation that’s not going to go anywhere. You need to suck that up as soon as possible and acclimatise to the pressure at that football club.“