Rangers-linked Lawrence Shankland surely on the move in January after ‘crystal ball’ Hearts admission
Rangers are riding the crest of a wave right now under Philippe Clement there is no doubting that.
Unbeaten under the Belgian, into the Europa League knockout stages, Viaplay Cup winners, in the title mix with a huge Old Firm derby on the horizon on Saturday (30 December).
But there is no resting on the laurels at Ibrox right now. The feelgood factor is high but so too, unfortunately, is the injury count.
Clement will be desperate to add reinforcements to his depleted squad in the January transfer window and one area in particular is his forward line.
Danilo is sidelined for the long term and Kemar Roofe just can’t stay fit, so there is only really Cyriel Dessers left as a traditional out-and-out striker.
One player who has been heavily linked with a switch to Ibrox is Hearts ace Lawrence Shankland, who scored twice in a 2-0 win over St Mirren on Saturday (23 December) to make it 15 goals this season.
Steven Naismith admitted there was interest in the marksman after the game, but that is hardly a secret, the big question is whether a deal can be struck.
It will partly come down to Shankland himself and his comments after the game, reported by the Daily Record (27 December), suggest he is angling for a January move.
“Have you got a crystal ball I can look into?” Shankland replied when asked if he would be a Hearts player come February.
“Listen, I’ve got a year-and-a-half on my contract, I’m enjoying my football and I’m scoring goals. Speculation follows you when you’re doing well. I don’t see it as anything more than that and I won’t until the future.
“I’ve been through it before. Speculation is just a sign that you are doing well and you are doing your job properly. That’s how I look on it, to be honest. I’m enjoying my football at the minute, things are going well and I don’t need to concentrate on much more than that.”
It was hardly the sort of affirming reply Hearts fans would have wanted to hear and suggested that Shankland is open to seek pastures new in the transfer window.
It should be music to the ears of the Rangers hierarchy. They just need to act fast to strike a deal and give Clement the additional firepower he needs to maintain the fight with Celtic for the title.
In other Rangers news, Scott Brown made a confident prediction ahead of the Old Firm derby.