Rangers: Lawrence Shankland, Bojan Miovski transfers mooted after ‘massive’ Abdallah Sima injury blow at Ibrox
Rangers need to secure a new signing to replace the goals lost after the “massive blow” of Abdallah Sima’s injury, according to Tam McManus.
The former Hibs striker told PLZ Soccer’s The Football Show on 22 January that after the Senegalese forward returned from the Africa Cup of Nations with an injury, and with Cyriel Dessers not “clinical enough” the Light Blues need Hearts’ Lawrence Shankland or Aberdeen’s Bojan Miovski if they can afford him.
On-loan Brighton man Sima has been in outstanding form this season with 15 goals across all competitions at just under a goal every other game.
McManus said (14m 30s): “I think Sima would be a massive blow for them. I think he’s been their best player this season. He’s a talisman, he’s scored a lot of goals. He seems to have picked up a thigh injury over in the Africa Cup of Nations so they need to replace him.
“I still think Rangers need a striker, I still think they need a nine. I know they signed [Fabio] Silva, I’m not sure he’s a number nine.
“Dessers, the jury’s still out for me. He could have scored three or four the other day against Dumbarton and he didn’t, I don’t think he’s clinical enough.
“I think Rangers need, dare I say it, a Shankland or a Miovski. I don’t know if they’ve got the money for those players, but if they had the money that’s the players that Rangers would be targeting.”
Major problem
With Rangers paying £4.5million to sign Mohamed Diomande from FC Nordsjaelland it turns out they do indeed have that money, but it isn’t being spent on a striker.
The midfielder could be an excellent signing for the long-term at Ibrox, which is perfectly valid if it works out that way, but the team came into January looking light in attack already and that has been made far worse by the news on Sima.
Whether Philippe Clement would have stuck with Diomande as an expensive priority if Sima’s injury had emerged a week earlier only he will know, but with the 22-year-old joining Danilo and Kemar Roofe on the sidelines there isn’t a huge amount to fall back on.
Others can chip in but nobody except James Tavernier is a confident bet to be a scorer of double figures in a season.
The speculation around Shankland has been huge ever since his stand-out performance and goal at Ibrox on 29 October, and despite his apparent intention to reject a new Jam Tarts contract offer it looks like Clement has gone in a different direction.
Whether the 28-year-old Scotland international, or the 24-year-old Miovski at Pitodrie are now unquestionably beyond the budget after the Diomande deal remains to be seen, but it would be a huge surprise if Rangers closed the window without another source of goals brought in.
In other Rangers news, Clement has confirmed that another attacker is set to leave before the end of the month.
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