Reported £3m rated striker was linked with Gers move, Clement decision explained

19/04/2024 18:00

Even when Philippe Clement had Rangers purring on our way to the top of the league we were missing chances and not killing teams off, a problem that has exacerbated our recent struggles.

Michael Beale was given funds to improve the squad in the summer, but instead went on a vanity project bringing player, after player who needed to be fixed.

Rangers needed goals, instead, Philippe Clement inherited a team bereft of them so why didn't he do the obvious thing and sign a goalscorer like Lawrence Shankland who had been linked with a move to Ibrox in January?

READ MORE: All Philippe Clement signings made since 2024

Rangers needed a player like Lawrence Shankland

It seemed like the obvious transfer at the time and yet we only signed three players before the window shut; Mohamed Diomande, Oscar Cortes and Fabio Silva.

The latter was signed to help out through the middle, however, due to injury and fitness issues, he has found himself playing out on the wing.

He's also never been a prolific goalscorer.

The Portugal Under 21 international has looked better through the middle than on the flanks, the biggest question has been about whether or not he was the right player and the one that we needed.

The player who seemed to be the one who would have made a difference was Lawrence Shankland.

After a dismal run of form, this question has reared its head again, but there is a reason why we didn't.

Philippe Clement has also explained why Rangers didn't sign anyone else in the January window:

"About the striking position, everyone is saying that Cyriel [Dessers] has had a big evolution in the last three months, Fabio has already shown good things, he is still adapting, that is normal.

"Kemar [Roofe] is still in the building, I expect him to be fit this this season, we will see if Danilo is back or not at the end of the season, we will not risk him for two or three weeks but he will be in the building next season so we have to take those things into account.

"We also have Zak Lovelace also who has been out injured for three months and he has a bright future.

"So we could have six or seven strikers but you cannot put them all on so you have to take that into account."

Rangers couldn't make Shankland move

It's all fair and well saying that we should have signed x, y, or z, if the money isn't there, it simply isn't possible.

There is a reason why we signed three players on loan with different options when Shankland was valued at over £3m.

Because of the money that Beale spent in the summer, Nils Koppen and Philippe Clement had to be flexible in January.

I'd go as far as to say that Silva, who Koppen took to PSV Eindhoven on loan and saw him do well, was the best player available to us.

What club in their right mind sells their goalscoring number nine halfway through the season, certainly ones that are in our budget?

Clubs are competing for titles or looking to qualify for Europe.

It's just not as simple as Clement not wanting a goalscorer.

In the summer, it will be a different story and I doubt that we'll see players who have barely scored double figures arrive again.