Russell Martin has had a mixed set of opening results as the new Glasgow Rangers boss. In Europe they have knocked out Panathinaikos and, bar a complete capitulation, look set to do the same to Viktoria Plzeň.
Qualification for, and progression in, the Champions League would go along way for the club financially and may allow them to further reinforce the squad in January.
Domestically however, they already find themselves four points adrift of rivals Celtic and have set themselves up for a challenge if they want to push for the Scottish Premiership title.
Martin has already brought in a number of players from England this summer including EFL veteran Joe Rothwell, but he’s now turned his attention to a new target between the sticks.
Rangers learn price tag to sign Pierce Charles
Alan Nixon, via Glasgow World, has confirmed that Martin wants to bring Sheffield Wednesday’s 20-year-old goalkeeper Pierce Charles to Ibrox, but he won’t come cheap.
“Young keeper Pierce Charles is for sale at Sheffield Wednesday but the asking price is about £8million. The Northern Ireland stopper, 20, is fancied by many clubs including Rangers, Leicester and Southampton. But despite the Championship Owls’ financial problems, and the EFL hinting at the need for player sales, the valuation is still sky high.”
This would not only make him the most expensive keeper Rangers have ever signed, but their third most expensive player ever. From Wednesday’s perspective, £8 million would make Charles their most expensive ever departure, a testament to how much they value him.
Rangers aren’t the only club interested in signing Charles, and it looked like they would face Premier League opposition from West Ham. However, Graham Potter’s side have announced the signing of Mads Hermansen from Leicester City for £20 million. Based on this, it would be surprising if the Hammers went for another keeper this window.
Charles is superior to Butland
Bringing in Charles as the 3rd most expensive player in the club’s history won’t be a decision that is taken lightly, but there are a few key reasons why it might actually be a sensible move.
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2024/25 League Performances |
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Butland |
Charles |
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|
Games Played |
28 |
10 |
|
Xg Faced |
28.79 |
12.91 |
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Goals Conceded |
31 |
10 |
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Goals Prevented vs Xg Faced |
-2.21 |
+2.91 |
|
Total Pass Accuracy |
77.4% |
76.3% |
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Long Ball Accuracy |
39.4% |
52.5% |
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Data via FotMob |
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While Butland played more games last season, Charles played his games in a higher level league with a report from May ranking the Championship as the 10th best league in the world, whereas the SPL didn’t crack the top 20. With that in mind, the data can be split into two main categories: shot stopping and ball-playing ability.
In shot-stopping terms, Charles clearly leads Butland. Based on Xg, Butland is conceding more goals than he should be and Charles is doing the exact opposite. This isn’t an outlier for Butland either, as, since 2020 he has conceded more league goals than his Xg suggests he should have in each campaign.
In terms of ball-playing ability, Butland slightly edges Charles in overall passing accuracy, but Charles is 13.1% more accurate with long balls. Martin’s style of play is possession-based, and he often likes to play short passes out from the back and in this department there is a near negligible difference. However, in those scenarios where the keeper has to go long, then Rangers would likely be successful more often with Charles in goal.
However, the biggest factor between the two is age. Butland, at 32, is unlikely to get better, whereas Charles, at 20, will be able to develop. £8 million may seem like a lot for now, but when invested with his future talent in mind it could be a steal.
