Michael Beale has perfect Alfredo Morelos replacement right under his nose, could save Rangers millions this summer
Rangers have not been at their best this season, with the club behind their fierce rivals Celtic in basically every area at this moment in time.
The Bhoys have stormed to another Scottish Premiership title, as well as lifting the League Cup at the expense of Rangers.
Ange Postecoglou’s side also defeated the Gers in the Scottish Cup semi-final late last month, another sign that Michael Beale’s men are some way off competing with their old enemy.
But there can be some positives that Beale can take away from the current campaign, with the likes of recent arrivals Nicolas Raskin and Todd Cantwell proving they are more than up for the fight when it comes next season.
The same cannot be said for the likes of Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos, who are closing in on disappointing summer exits from Ibrox.
The attackers have not fired on all cylinders this season, in what has been a frustrating campaign overall for Rangers in the final third, who have scored 23 league goals fewer than Celtic.
In another very worrying statistic, right-back James Tavernier is the club’s joint-top scorer in all competitions this season with 17 goals.
Joining him on that tally? Outcast Antonio Colak. The striker banged in the goals for fun in the early stages of the season but quite simply hasn’t had a look in since the arrival of Beale in the Ibrox dugout.
It really is a head-scratcher, with the forward finding the back of the net 13 times from his 24 Scottish Premiership appearances since his summer move from PAOK.
With Morelos heading out the door at the end of the campaign, Beale is increasingly likely to turn to the transfer window once again to bring in a replacement for the Colombian.
But the boss could save a fortune by simply handing Colak the attacking burden, with the Croatian international already proving he is capable of dealing with the pressure of leading the line.
Along with his 13 league goals, the 29-year-old hit three goals in four Champions League qualifying games, finding the back of the net against quality opposition in Union Saint-Gilloise and PSV Eindhoven.
As per Transfermarkt, Colak has played fewer minutes (2,197) than both Fashion Sakala (2,253) and Morelos (2,200) this season, yet has outscored both of them.
Rangers legend Barry Ferguson expects the Gers to “cash in” on Colak this summer, but Beale should see sense and give the striker a chance to prove his worth in the starting XI.
In other Rangers news, the club have already sorted a permanent summer signing with a deal to bring in one English Championship player “already agreed.”