Ibrox View: 23yo reported Rangers target would surely be inspired alternative to Alfredo Morelos
RANGERS OPINION
The hunt for a striker could end up occupying a lot of time and headspace for Rangers this summer.
The Gers are likely to face a battle if they are to hang on to star man Alfredo Morelos, with Colombian outlet Antena 2 reporting that both St. Etienne and Atletico Madrid are keen on the 23-year-old.
Moreover, there are no assurances as to whether to Florian Kamberi’s loan move from Hibernian will be made permanent, meaning that one way or another, Steven Gerrard is almost certainly going to have to find a new hitman to pad out his squad for a title challenge next term.
And it would appear that he is fully aware of that, because according to recent piece from TEAMtalk, the Gers are already in the hunt for a new leading man.
The article claims that we are scouting Austrian 23-year-old Adrian Grbic, who currently plies his trade for French second tier side Clermont Foot.
So far this term he has hit 17 in 26 league outings on the continent, and it is understood that the forward is drawing admiring glances from Celtic, Crystal Palace, and Brighton, as well as Ibrox chiefs.
But would it be worth entering a bidding war for the striker this summer?
On paper, he is an impressive prospect.
So far this term, he has hit 0.63 goals per game from an xG of just 0.37 – meaning that he scores 0.23 goals per game more than you would reasonable expect him to, as per Wyscout.
As a point of reference, Morelos has scored 0.73 goals per game from an xG of 0.72 – giving him a surplus of just 0.01 every 90 minutes.
Grbic has also won an average of 7.25 aerial duels per game this season, suggesting that he is a much more physical presence than Morelos, who has won just 3.72.
But how does this translate into his actual gameplay?
Ibrox News have taken an in depth look at the Austrian’s hat-trick turn in Clermont’s 3-2 win over Troyes back in January to find out.
First of all, it’s important to point out that Grbic had a shot accuracy of 100% in this match, and on another day, could well have had four or five goals instead of the three he did manage to register.
Secondly, it would appear that he has an eye for the spectacular.
As pictured in the image above, his first strike came from a free kick taken from an absurd distance.
Admittedly, his shot does take a a sizeable deflection that wrong foots the keeper, but to even attempt a shot on goal from that kind of range shows that he is a player who backs himself and his ability to produce.
Incredibly, his second was also a free kick – albeit a less eye-catching one – but it’s his third goal that perhaps gives us the best illustration of what kind of striker he actually is.
As pictured above, Grbic is able to peel of the shoulder of the last defender to open up a chasm of space between him and the goal.
It’s a simple piece of movement, but it’s one that hints at an intelligent player who is constantly alive to the possibility of exploiting a mistake.
The finish is a delight too.
The 23-year-old gives the keeper the eye to send him the wrong way, before striking the ball nice and early high into the top corner.
Throughout, Grbic looks calm, assured, and perhaps most impressively, as if he is acting almost instinctively.
The fluidity to his movement which belies his 6’2″ frame and he looks to be in total control the whole time.
In short, the Austrian appears to be a real prospect, and if we could snap him up from under the noses of the pack of clubs chasing him, it could prove to be an inspired piece of business.
In other Rangers news, ‘Massive’ – Ibrox Exclusive: Bruce reacts to fresh Rangers ‘kick in the teeth’ after UEFA report.