£15m forgotten man set for ‘restart’ after missing out on Rangers transfer

Leicester City coach Enzo Maresca is hinting that Harry Souttar will be offered a fresh start in the Championship after his move to Scottish giants Rangers fell through on deadline day. 

Depending on who you believe, Rangers’ inability to reunite John Souttar with his younger brother at Ibrox was caused by the Champions League thrashing at PSV Eindhoven, their failure to first sign fellow centre-half Ben Davies, or a mixture of the two.

Rangers’ chances were hampered by their failure to secure a seat at Europe’s top table. According to Football Scotland, the thrashing at Philipps Stadium meant Mick Beale’s team could no longer match Souttar’s wage demands.

Furthermore, Rangers regarded Stoke City’s bid for out-of-favour Davies insufficient (Rangers Review); the player who would have taken Souttar’s place remained north of the border.

As a result, the similarly hardly seen Harry Souttar is locked at Leicester until at least January. Not that Enzo Maresca, Pep Guardiola’s former Manchester City assistant and dead ringer, is ready to write off his £15 million Australia international.

Rangers miss out on Leicester City’s Harry Souttar

“When the transfer window closes, it’s like a reset for all the players who are here.” “A restart,” Maresca tells the Leicester Mercury, referring to the ‘clean slate’ that awaits Souttar and company.

“That’s what it is. If you want to leave, you don’t, and you stay because that’s what it is. It’s not my fault, nor is it the fault of the club or the player. It’s a combination of all of us.

“The moment you decide to leave and don’t leave, you have to stay.”

Former Dundee United youngster Souttar, on the other hand, will face an uphill task to break into Maresca’s plans. He was noticeable by his absence once more as Leicester’s perfect start to the new Championship season was shattered by surprise package Hull City one day after the transfer window closed this weekend.