FORMER Celtic attacker Kris Commons believes that Steven Gerrard's Rangers exit has opened up the title race - and has warned the Premiership champions that FOUR key players could be eyeing moves elsewhere as a result.

Gerrard swapped Ibrox for Villa Park last week, bringing the curtain down on a successful three-and-a-half years in Glasgow, and took his coaching team - including assistant Gary McAllister and first-team coach Michael Beale - with him down south.

Commons had firmly believed that Rangers would retain the Premiership this season as Ange Postecoglou settled into life in the Parkhead hot-seat but the former Scotland internationalist reckons that Gerrard's departure has opened up the title race.

And while he doesn't think that Gerrard will raid his former club for key players like Glen Kamara, Connor Goldson, Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos, Commons insisted that the quartet will now be considering their futures in Govan.

"I genuinely believe all bets are off in terms of how the title race will pan out," Commons wrote in his Daily Mail column.

"I said at the start of the season that I believed Rangers would win it again, and I was consistent with that despite the improvements made by Celtic.

Glasgow Times:

"But the landscape has now changed dramatically. The roof hasn't caved in at Ibrox, but it's beginning to creak.

"Gerrard and his entire coaching staff have upped sticks and left. Coming hot on the heels of the club posting an annual loss of £23.5million, suddenly things don't look so rosy.

"You can't underestimate just what a loss the likes of Michael Beale will be. Gerrard spoke countless times in the past about how he regards him as an outstanding coach.

"It was Beale who was the brains of the operation. He drilled the team into a certain shape and got them playing excellent football.

"Will the new manager be able to achieve something similar? Whether it's Giovanni van Bronckhorst or someone else, there's no guarantee of immediate success.

"Any new manager coming into a club usually takes some time to get their ideas across. In this instance, though, they have to come in and hit the ground running.

"That's a tough ask. It will also be a huge test of character for the players, because there's no doubt Gerrard's exit will have ripped the heart out of some of them.

"As captain, James Tavernier spoke last week of his respect and admiration for Gerrard. I've no doubt that's a feeling shared throughout the dressing room.

"Gerrard will have been a massive draw for a lot of the Rangers players. For instance, look at the situation with Glen Kamara.

Glasgow Times:

"Kamara signed a new long-term deal earlier this season which ties him to the club until 2025. And fair play to him, because he's been a revelation since joining.

"But would he have been so quick to sign a new deal had he known that Gerrard would be leaving a few months later? I doubt it.

"The situations with Connor Goldson, Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos will also be interesting. I don't see Gerrard coming back for them, but I'm also not sure they will be keen to stick around at Ibrox either."