Former £3m ace having 'difficult' time after Rangers exit, doesn't 'understand' director's comments

23/04/2024 20:00

The grass, as they say, is not always greener elsewhere. You only have to ask a trio of players who left Rangers during the summer of 2023 and they will tell you all about that, their post-Ibrox careers not exactly going to plan.

Ryan Kent has barely kicked a ball in anger at Fenerbahce, and could yet live to regret turning down Lazio and Hull City in January as he wastes away on the bench in Istanbul. Alfredo Morelos, meanwhile, is once again running into familiar problems over in Brazil with Santos.

As for a player who once joined Rangers for a cool £3 million and left upon the expiration of his contract four years later, a season which began with plenty of promise for Filip Helander has unravelled rather dramatically over the last few weeks.

Former £3m Rangers man loses captain’s armband

First, there was the ignominy of a 36th minute withdrawal against Vejle, Odense Boldklub boss Soren Krogh pulling no punches at full-time when he described himself ‘not satisfied’ with Helander’s performances.

And, shortly after OB director Bjorn Wesstrom took the arguably unhelpful approach of going public with the ‘difficult period’ Helander had found himself in, the Sweden international was then stripped of the captain’s armband before last Friday’s clash with Rangers’ Scandinavian near-namesakes Randers SC.

The decision was made, Wesstrom indicated, in an attempt to lift some of the pressure from Helander’s shoulders.

Now, the 30-year-old centre-half was careful to keep his cards close to his chest when asked about losing the captaincy following that 2-2 draw, Helander opening his account for OB in the 88th minute.

But it’s pretty clear – and pretty understandable – that his pride has been somewhat damaged.

“Well, it is the club’s decision,” Helander tells Danish publication Bold. “The results have not been so good, and then you will try to change things.

“For me, it is not a big deal,” he insists. “We have a captain group with me, Bashkim (Kadrii), (Tom) Trybull and (Martin) Hansen. I think that Bashkim is a good captain, as he has been at the club for a long time and he knows what it means to people. 

“So for me it’s not a big deal. I try to be the same person all the time.”

Post-Ibrox struggles continue

It was not so much the loss of the armband that left a sour taste in Helander’s mouth, but Wesstrom’s explanation for such a decision. The director claimed that he wanted to reduce the sense of ‘responsibility’ on Helander.

That, however, was not something the highly-experienced defender felt he had been struggling with.

“That you don’t take responsibility for yourself, I have a hard time understanding that,” adds Helander, who was part of the Rangers squad which lifted the Scottish Premiership trophy under Steven Gerrard in 2021.

“I always try to do my best.”

His ‘best’, however, was seemingly no longer enough for Odense to continue with Helander leading the team out on a weekly basis. At least, with a goal in his first game without the armband, the former Rangers favourite is still making his mark in what is turning into a very tense relegation battle.