Lawrence Shankland should be transfer ‘no-brainer’ for Rangers in January
Jonny McFarlane has suggested that a move for Lawrence Shankland should be a “no-brainer” for Rangers when the January transfer window opens.
The Light Blues continued their excellent start to life under Philippe Clement on Sunday (5 November) with a 3-1 win over Hearts to secure their place in the Viaplay Cup final as the Belgian continues to lead the resurgence after a slow start to the campaign under Michael Beale.
But there are still areas that require improvement at Ibrox, one of which is in the striker position where Rangers remain light on quality and McFarlane believes that the solution is “staring Clement in the face” in the shape of Shankland.
Writing for The Herald (6 November) he said: “The team is very reliant on Danilo and there shouldn’t be much faith in [Cyriel] Dessers should there be an injury.
“This will surely be the number one area to address in January with a deal for proven SPFL striker Lawrence Shankland staring Clement in the face.
“That’s a no-brainer for all concerned.”
No-brainer
A lot of money was invested in the forward line at Ibrox this summer, with the likes of Danilo, Dessers and Sam Lammers all arriving for reasonable fees in an attempt to replace the outgoing presence of Alfredo Morelos at the top end of the pitch.
Of those three arrivals, Danilo is the only one currently looking like a good investment, with the Brazilian beginning to find his feet in Glasgow having recovered from a fractured cheekbone that he suffered early in his Rangers career.
But if the Light Blues have genuine hopes of competing on all fronts for the remainder of the campaign, they are going to need more than one striker to score their goals this season and a move for Shankland seems to be the most obvious fix available to Clement.
The 28-year-old has scored three goals in 11 Scottish Premiership appearances this season, including Hearts’ consolation strike at Hampden Park on Sunday and goals against both Rangers and Celtic in the league already this year.
Last season the Scotsman scored 21 goals in the 28 starts in the Premiership and has a proven record of finding the net wherever he has played. While he may not be as attractive a name as the signing made this summer, he may offer a more definite prospect than the likes of Dessers and Lammers.
Whether or not Clement and Rangers will make the move that McFarlane dubbed a “no-brainer” remains to be seen, but it’s safe to say that The Herald journalist is sold.
In other Rangers news, Keith Jackson has hit out at SPFL bosses for directing their focus towards pyrotechnics before the Gers clash with Hearts