Chris Jack has shared an update on Rangers plans for the January transfer window, suggesting the Light Blues would prioritise a move for a right-sided forward and central striker.
The Gers spent heavily in the summer under the management of Michael Beale but will be keen to add to their squad again in January after a mixed start to the campaign that saw the Englishman sacked and Philippe Clement pick up the pieces.
While a majority of the summer’s investment was focused on providing forward options in the Ibrox squad, Jack believes that attacking targets will once again be the priority in 2024, especially on the right side of the pitch.
Writing for the Rangers Review (20 November) he said: “A right-sided forward and a central striker seem like priority positions that need to be filled for Rangers, despite the sums that were spent to add options from middle to front over the summer.
“A direct, pacey attacker that carries a goal threat – one that mirrors the attributes of Abdallah Sima on the other flank – would give the side more balance and more natural width.
“Through the middle, Rangers need a regular source of goals to provide back-up to Danilo, especially given that Cyriel Dessers and Kemar Roofe cannot be relied upon for form or fitness respectively.”
Other than Danilo and Sima, the rest of Rangers’ attacking signings this summer have flattered to deceive in the early stages of the season, with the likes of Sam Lammers and Dessers struggling to consistently contribute in the final third.
The right-wing position has proven to be a difficult role to fill for both Clement and Beale, with Todd Cantwell and Ross McCausland the latest two players to be deployed out wide as the Belgian looks to strike a balance with his side.
McCausland looked incredibly bright against Livingston, but that was his first-ever start for Rangers, so he cannot be expected to play week in and week out while Cantwell seems to fit in the side much better when played as a number 10 behind the striker.
The problem for Clement is the fact that recruiting in these areas is not cheap and to get quality in the January window, teams typically have to spend big.
Whether Rangers will be keen to do so after an expensive summer remains to be seen, but if they want to catch Celtic in the hunt for the title, they may well have to fork out the cash.
