Mick Beale, always open and straight to the point when discussing his transfer plans, left no one in any doubt about his desire to bring a new centre-forward to Rangers during the summer window.
“I’d like to bring another number nine into the building that is different to what we’ve got,” explains the Ibrox boss. “My eyes are on that. I have my eye on a very specific name for the summer, and hopefully we’ll be able to do that.”
Beale, of course, stopped short of naming that ‘very specific’ centre-forward. The one presumably sitting right at the top of his summer wishlist like a star atop a Christmas tree.
Cho Gue-Sung, however, may be the ‘different’ sort of striker Beale is looking for.
Cho, in some ways, is a halfway house between Kemar Roofe, Alfredo Morelos and Antonio Colak. He combines Roofe’s clever vision, Morelos’ bullishness, and Colak’s ruthlessness. A 6ft 2ins frontman who is just as effective with his back to goal as he is when lining up shots in and around the penalty area, scored more goals than anyone else in South Korea’s top flight last season.
21 in 35 games for Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. A tally of five assists, meanwhile, highlights the all-around nature of his game.
Could Cho Gue-Sung be on his way to Rangers?
Celtic were the club most frequently linked with Cho after the Qatar World Cup; the 25-year-old scoring twice against Ghana in the group-stages; the Hoops confident that a £2.6 million bid would be accepted (Sun). But do not be surprised if Cho, a few months down the line, ends up on the other side of the Old Firm divide instead.
Celtic, after learning that Cho wanted to stay in Korea until the summer, turned their attention to his compatriot Oh Hyeon-Gyu. Presuming he, Kyogo Furuhashi and Daizen Maeda are all still Celtic players next term, it’s difficult to see a place now for Cho at Parkhead.
You cannot say the same of Rangers, linked via The Sun’s Alan Nixon. Morelos’ contract is expiring. Roofe, meanwhile, is turning 30, and cannot really be relied upon following a series of injuries.
“Thanks to the love of many people, the opportunity (to move to Europe) seems to be coming. I will coordinate it and talk about it,” Cho said recently.
“The most important thing is to be able to play, rather than having a specific club you want. A player is at his coolest when he is playing. I am still a player of Jeonbuk Hyundai (but) I also want to go.”
If it’s guaranteed first-team football Cho wants, then a Rangers side in the midst of a reshuffle could be a destination which ticks more boxes than most.
