Rangers look to hire transfer chief who’s absolutely mad about goal machine who’ll light up Ibrox
Lee McCulloch has had plenty to say about Lawrence Shankland in the past.
The Rangers recruitment team needs a shake-up, and McCulloch is linked with an Ibrox return, meaning he would leave his current role as Brighton’s talent acquisition manager.
Changes have already been made in Govan, with Stig Inge Bjornebye joining Rangers as their new football consultant and advisor.
After Kevin Thelwell was sacked for overseeing a disastrous summer window, his biggest mistake was to neglect the option of signing the Hearts striker on a free transfer.
Rangers’ interest in Shankland wasn’t pursued, with McCulloch insisting in the past that he would have done whatever it took to bring him to Ibrox.
Lee McCulloch urged Rangers to sign Lawrence Shankland in 2023
Shankland’s contract was set to expire in June, but the Bears opted to sign Bojan Miovski and Youssef Chermiti instead.
The 30-year-old striker eventually renewed his contract with the Edinburgh outfit, and they have been reaping the rewards ever since.
Speaking to the Daily Record in November 2023, McCulloch demanded that Rangers sign Shankland at all costs.
He said: “I think he is more than good enough to be starting for Rangers every week. I think he would score lots and lots of goals.
“If he was out of contract at the end of the season, it could be different, but Hearts can literally name anything.”
| Stat | Shankland |
| Appearances | 157 |
| Goals | 79 |
| Assists | 22 |
Those words couldn’t ring any truer now, with Shankland spearheading Hearts’ push to win a first league title since 1960.
Supporters haven’t seen enough from Chermiti, and given the fact that he was brought in for £10million, it represents a huge waste of funds.
With Rangers facing Hearts at Tynecastle on Sunday, he could have a big say in Danny Rohl’s hopes of winning the Scottish Premiership in his first season in charge.
Rangers would be top of the league if they signed Lawrence Shankland
While the Bears have other issues to address in their squad, it’s undeniable that a proven striker was needed if they wanted to compete for the title.
Despite Miovski’s resurgence in a Rangers shirt, Shankland would have been firing in goals consistently since the season started in August.
After bouncing around several clubs in Scotland, Shankland’s spell with Belgian side Beerschot earned him a move to Hearts in 2022, where he has since been a revelation.
His double against Rangers gave Hearts a first win at Ibrox since 2014 back in September, and it was a painful reminder that he was available for the Bears to sign.
If he had made the move to Govan, conversations over Rangers’ poor season would be very different, with McCulloch possibly coming in months too late.
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