Football League World
·10 June 2024
Football League World
·10 June 2024
Former England midfielder Carlton Palmer believes Rangers winger Tom Lawrence would be a good signing for Sheffield United.
This comes after the Gers attacker is someone who is being looked at by the Yorkshire side.
According to the Scottish Daily Mail Paper Edition (10.06.24. PG67), Sheffield United and Ipswich Town are in the race to sign Lawrence from Rangers this summer.
The report states that both teams are looking into a potential deal for the 30-year-old this summer, but they also face competition from Turkish side Besiktas.
Lawrence is under contract with the Scottish Premiership side until the summer of 2025, meaning he enters the final year of his deal this summer.
The Rangers man isn’t unknown to English football, as he’s had several spells in the EFL, including a season at Portman Road already.
Here we asked former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Carlton Palmer for his thoughts on Sheffield United battling it out with Ipswich Town for the signing of Rangers winger Tom Lawrence.
He exclusively told Football League World:“Several clubs are said to be keen on bringing Tom Lawrence back to England from across the border.
“Tom Lawrence is at Glasgow Rangers, he has got a year left on his contract and two of the clubs battling for his signature, Sheffield United and Ipswich Town.
“Ipswich have just returned to the Premier League, and I suppose Tom would be looking at is he going to get a lot of game time.
“Chris Wilder has got a lot of work to do. I mean, people are putting Sheffield United as firm favourites to be in the running next season, but I’m not sure about that.
“Wilder has got a lot of work to do in terms of players leaving the club and bringing players in. We don’t know what the situation is as regards money in terms of what he will be able to bring to the football club.
“We know that at the moment there are American people who are interested in buying the club, but that hasn’t gone through as of yet.
“But Tom Lawrence has proven that he is a player who can operate at the top Championship level, and he would be a good signing for Sheffield United.
“He has picked up a few injuries in recent seasons, but he is durable, and he can play anywhere across the forward line. So, he would be a very, very good signing for Sheffield United if they can get it over the line.
“I suppose the fee is not going to be massive given Tom’s age. Obviously, he would be flattered that his name has been linked to Ipswich Town, but he will be conscious of the fact he is 30, and he will be wanting to play regular football.
“Will that be guaranteed at Ipswich Town? Maybe not and if he goes to Sheffield United under Chris Wilder, he will be guaranteed more game time.”
At this stage, it is unclear if Rangers are interested in selling Tom Lawrence this summer or if the player wants to leave Ibrox.
But if a move does occur, and while Ipswich Town will be appealing to the winger, as they are in the Premier League, Lawrence needs to prioritise Sheffield United over the Tractor Boys.
This is because, as Carlton Palmer refers to, the Rangers winger is now 30, which means he will want to be playing as much football as possible before he has to call time on his career.
Therefore, with the options that Kieran McKenna has at Ipswich, it seems unlikely that Lawrence is going to play week in and week out. But at Sheffield United, that could potentially happen, as the club may be limited in what business they can do this summer, and with their forward options lacking, Lawrence could easily be a regular starter at Bramall Lane.
The former Derby County man does come with a risk, as he’s had a lot of injury problems in the last couple of seasons, but if they can manage to keep him fit, Lawrence has the makings to be an impressive buy for the Yorkshire side this summer.