Rangers fans have a new hero in Fashion Sakala but the Zambian striker’s emergence can help light a fire under the club’s out-of-sorts resident talisman Alfredo Morelos.
Alfredo hasn’t quite been the player of previous campaigns and has at times cut an isolated figure both in the squad and on the pitch as El Bufalo struggles to reach top form.
But what has never once been in doubt is the Colombian’s status as the darling of the Ibrox support with Morelos the toast of Govan upon reaching 100 Rangers goals in October.
Now that milestone has been crossed, Morelos has been challenged to go and reclaim his form but as of yet we’ve not quite seen the Alfie of old this season.
So much so that even Steven Gerrard has demanded more of the striker.
But as Zambian forward Sakala, 24, emerges after a period of settling in, Morelos will find out quickly that without committed performances his status as fan favourite could soon switch to the Zambian.
Fashion Sakala can help kick Alfredo Morelos as Rangers teammate and rival
Rangers fans have always had a penchant for the exotic and it’s one of the reasons – away from his scoring exploits – why Morelos has always outranked the Ryan Kents and Kemar Roofes as the main man in the squad.
Similarly, to the Colombian, Sakala is an international footballer from foreign shores and the Zambian has already got a catchy chant in symbolic homage to his positivity spreading amongst the support.
The ex-KV Oostende striker announced himself in Scottish football at the weekend with a hattrick in the 6-1 win over Motherwell – a league treble something Alfredo has never achieved.
The two players are clearly well acquainted and close – as evidenced by their dual celebration against the Well – and Morelos is certainly not a greedy, poacher-like striker.
In fact, the striker’s game has developed to be so much more than goalscorer and Morelos routinely turns assister or is at the base of so many of our goals.
But should the threat of Sakala growing into the apple of the Ibrox support’s eye become even greater, perhaps Alfredo might have a thing or two to say about it in the weeks to come.
Sakala’s infectious positivity and goalscoring exploits have fans delighted and they lavished the striker with praise following the 6-1 demolition of Motherwell.
