Rangers and Celtic move for Lawrence Shankland touted by fellow Scottish Premiership ace
Stephen O’Donnell is surprised Rangers and Celtic did not move for either Lawrence Shankland or Bojan Miovski in the January transfer window.
The Gers were linked with Hearts captain Shankland at the turn of the year, while Aberdeen striker Miovski was another name mentioned.
Nothing came of the speculation, though, and both players remain at their respective clubs ahead of the summer window opening in June.
Speaking on Go Radio, as per Glasgow World [25 March], Motherwell and Scotland international O’Donnell said: “It’s kind of what I thought possibly Celtic or Rangers would’ve done with the likes of Shankland or Miovski when they were scoring all the goals.
“You can get these guys for a fraction of the price you spend on unknown names from different countries, and I just thought one of them would’ve taken him in January.”
Lawrence Shankland could be summer transfer target for Rangers and Celtic
Plenty of Rangers fans were disappointed the club did not move for Shankland in January, at a time when we were still finding some form.
Mohamed Diomande was brought in as a relatively unknown midfielder and has made quite the impact, as has loanee Fabio Silva.
It goes to show that there are unheralded gems out there if you have the right scouting network, which is now likely the template to follow.
That said, for every Diomande or Oscar Cortes, there is also room for a player like Shankland or even Miovski.
Shankland has proven what he is capable of doing in the Scottish Premiership for a lesser side and he simply guarantees goals.
The Scotland striker’s contract situation may well explain why Rangers did not move for him in January, but the situation will soon be clearer.
Should he be allowed to enter the final 12 months of his current terms come the summer, Hearts will be far more open to selling.
If that is the case, Rangers must ensure they see off any rival bid that is incoming from Celtic.
In other Rangers news, a statement has been released following the scenes that marred the Gers Women’s side’s win over Patrick Thistle.
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