Glasgow Rangers made the decision to part ways with manager Michael Beale earlier this month after the English tactician endured a difficult start to the season.
The Light Blues lost three of their opening seven Scottish Premiership matches and were knocked out of the Champions League by PSV during the play-off round, which meant that the club moved into the group stages of the Europa League.
This came after the former Chelsea youth coach was allowed to oversee an overhaul of the playing squad over the course of the summer transfer window.
Jack Butland
Free
Dujon Sterling
Free
Leon Balogun
Free
Kieran Dowell
Free
Jose Cifuentes
Permanent
Sam Lammers
Permanent
Cyriel Dessers
Permanent
Danilo
Permanent
Abdallah Sima
Loan
As shown in the table above, the former Rangers chief was able to snap nine new recruits to bolster the team after the likes of Alfredo Morelos, Ryan Kent, Scott Arfield, Antonio Colak, Fashion Sakala, and Ianis Hagi moved on, either on loan or permanently.
The results on the pitch did not justify the mass changes and the board made the decision to ditch the English tactician, who has since been replaced by Belgian boss Philippe Clement.
However, not all of Beale's deals were to the detriment of the club as one player who has been a standout performer on the pitch since his arrival is goalkeeper Jack Butland.
How much did Rangers pay for Butland?
Rangers did not pay a penny for the former England international as they agreed a pre-contract deal for the shot-stopper back in June, ahead of his contract with Crystal Palace expiring at the end of the month.
At the time of the move, Beale claimed that the club had signed an "excellent" goalkeeper who is now in the prime years of his career at the age of 30.
His performances so far this season have backed up that claim but there may have been some doubts over how it would pan out at the time due to his difficulties in England in recent years.
How many Premier League appearances did Butland make?
He racked up 87 Premier League appearances throughout his time down south with various clubs but none of those came during a loan spell with Manchester United last season.
Butland spent the second half of the campaign on loan at Old Trafford but Erik ten Hag did not feature him in a single competitive match before his return to Palace, and eventual move to Ibrox.
That came after the 30-year-old ace only played ten top-flight games in two-and-a-half seasons with the Eagles as he failed to displace Spanish titan Vicente Guaita to earn a regular spot in the starting XI.
He did play nine times during the 2021/22 campaign. However, the Englishman was unable to catch the eye as 43% of the shots on his goal found the back of the net and his side only kept one clean sheet, as per Sofascore.
His troubles at Palace, and United, came after an impressive start to his senior career with Birmingham and Stoke in his younger days. He racked up 214 competitive appearances for those two clubs combined and kept 60 clean sheets in total.
Butland became the youngest goalkeeper in England history when he made his debut against Italy in 2012 at the age of 19 and has earned nine caps for his country to date.
The 6 foot 5 colossus enjoyed a fantastic spell with Stoke after coming through the academy system at Birmingham as he won their Player of the Year award for the 2015/16 and 2018/19 campaigns.
He kept 18 clean sheets and saved 71% of the shots on his goal across 45 Championship starts during the latter season but failed to build on his form for the Potters as his career fell by the wayside at Palace after a move to Selhurst Park in 2020.
How has Butland performed for Rangers?
Rangers now appear to have benefitted from Butland's declining career as they swooped in to sign him for £0 and the towering gem has been a revelation this season.
The former England international has hit the ground running at Ibrox and already established himself as a star and key player for the club with his fantastic performances between the sticks.
He has averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.11 across nine Scottish Premiership starts and kept an eye-catching six clean sheets to date, with an impressive 77% save percentage.
Whereas, Allan McGregor only saved 57% of the shots on his goal and kept eight shutouts in 24 top-flight appearances for the Light Blues last season.
This suggests that Rangers have secured a huge upgrade in goal by replacing the veteran Scotsman with Butland, who was hailed for his "outstanding" goalkeeping by journalist Josh Bunting in August, over the summer transfer window.
The former Stoke star has also enjoyed a strong start to life in Europe with an average Sofascore rating of 7.35 and a save percentage of 75% across two Europa League group stage outings.
How much is Butland worth now?
Football Insider recently reported that the Light Blues value the 30-year-old colossus at a fee of at least £5m amid interest from Championship side Birmingham.
The outlet claimed that his former club are keen on a deal for the Gers star, just months on from his move to the Scottish giants, but also add that the Ibrox side will not entertain any offers for his services during the upcoming January transfer window.
They have also stated that his internal valuation at Rangers will only increase further beyond £5m if his impressive performances on the pitch continue throughout the rest of the 2023/24 campaign.
The interest from Birmingham highlights how much of an impact Butland has made for the club this season as he has done enough to attract attention from elsewhere after three months of competitive football.
His valuation has quickly soared from £0 to £5m since Beale snapped him up for nothing from Palace and the former Gers boss, therefore, deserves credit.
The ex-QPR head coach hit the jackpot for the club with his move to sign the giant stopper, who now looks set to play a key role for Clement moving forward.
