Kyle Lafferty is reportedly on the verge of exiting Rangers with his second stint at the club lasting less than a year [The Scotsman].
Should he secure a move elsewhere, Steven Gerrard is likely to go out in search of a replacement.
Lafferty was used sparingly last season, but when he did play, he was the target man for the Gers. In his absence, barring a much-increased role for Ryan Hardie, the Gers will lack a physical option up front.
One player the club could target to fill that void is James Collins.
The 28-year-old striker bagged an impressive 25 goals for Luton Town in League One across 2018/19 [
BBC Sport].
That’s three more than anyone else in the division, and with one every 150 minutes, he had a better goalscoring ratio than any player with more than 17 strikes. He also notched three assists along the way.
Furthermore, those contributions played a big part in gaining the Hatters automatic promotion to the Championship.
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Target man required
Well built and 6ft 2″, Collins brings a physical presence that may otherwise be lacking going into next season.
Rated at £225k by Transfermarkt, he wouldn’t cost the earth and he already has experience of the SPL, after spending the 2013-14 season with Hibs.
He’s honed his finishing since then and looks to have brought his game up a level.
By no means would Collins be a regular starter at Rangers. Yet, as the third cab off the rank, if Gerrard needed something different, he could prove a dangerous weapon off the bench.
The Gers played some excellent stuff towards the end of the season, but Plan A won’t work out every week. The manager needs different kinds of players to be able to churn out points, and someone like Collins could help do just that.
