Leon Balogun: Super Eagles Defender Eyes Rangers Contract Extension Despite Limited Game Time

• Leon Balogun hopes for a contract extension at Rangers despite limited playing time
• The recent performance against Hearts sparked optimism for potential renewal talks
• Uncertainty looms over the defender's future due to age concerns and competition

Rangers centre-back, Leon Balogun, hopes to extend his contract beyond next summer.

Despite only playing 16 games this season, the 35-year-old hopes to continue his journey with the 55-time Scottish Champions.

Balogun's last league start was in January, when he played the full 90 minutes in their 3-0 win over Hibernian.

Since then, he has only managed 23 minutes of game time before being recalled into the starting XI in the 2-0 victory over Hearts in the Scottish Cup.

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As reported by Soccernet, he has made 65 appearances and aims to secure a new deal.

Talks for a renewal broke down towards the end of his previous contract, attributed to concerns over his injury history and abilities by the former coach, Giovanni Van Bronckhorst. The decision to release him for free was met with dissatisfaction from most fans He enjoyed most of his playing time under Michael Beale earlier this season, but his game time decreased significantly after Philippe Clement took over.

“Has there been talks about my future? Not yet. I don’t know what will happen. I think the club will make those decisions within the next few weeks. I hope I get a notification a bit more timely than the last time around,” he said, as quoted by Daily Record UK.

However, it is improbable that Rangers will offer him a new deal, mainly due to his age and reduced mobility. Additionally, coach Clement seems to favour Connor Goldson.

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Balogun wants punishment for fans who abuse players online

Sports Brief reported that Balogun kicked against the constant abuse suffered online by footballers from angry supporters.

Alex Iwobi was the latest footballer to suffer from fan bullying online after the Fulham midfielder was targeted by fans following Nigeria’s loss to Ivory Coast in the 2023 AFCON final.

The centre-back said that because a fan buys a ticket to watch a game, it does not give them the right to hurl abusive words at a footballer on or off the pitch.