The two friendly fixtures Rangers have played during the winter break were handy for Philippe Clement to get minutes into his team and brush off the cobwebs but also for another reason.
What it allowed the Gers boss to do was see where his squad still needs to strengthen and there is a glaring problem in the front three.
Rangers continue to be linked with players but only Lawrence Shankland seems to be on Philippe Clement’s radar in terms of being a proper goalscorer with Sky Sports’ Mark Banstead providing an update on the speculation.
Rangers holding Philippe Clement back in striker pursuit
If Clement wants more goals at Ibrox and beyond, few would be a safer and wiser bet that the Hearts skipper.
With the player – obviously – said to be keen on moving across the M8, what exactly is the hold up?
Speaking on a Sky Sports update on Wednesday afternoon, 17th January, Benstead said:
“Rangers still want to bring in a forward player and there is interest in Lawrence Shankland of Hearts.
“I’m told that the figures involved if that was to happen would not be insurmountable, it could be done straightforwardly.
“But they will perhaps have to move some bodies off the wage bill first and will need a common consensus that he is the right player to go for.
“There’s a lot of interest within Rangers, but also some doubting voices who think they should go for someone else.
“They also need to be mindful of the fact that Hearts will need to bring in a replacement, so they can’t drag their heels in too much.”
It’s interesting that Lawrence Shankland doesn’t appear to be the only target Rangers gaffer Philippe Clement is considering with his recruitment team.
What might be the case, is that we know Shankland – at a reported £3m – is affordable and wouldn’t require much persuasion to make the move so other avenues are being explored first.
In terms of moving players out, we don’t really have an excess of forward players plus Kemar Roofe’s contract expires in the summer so, if it is possible, it would make sense to bring someone who can score goals in now when there is a title still to be won.
There are times when it makes sense to play it safe and there are times when backing the manager could really pay off in both the short and long term.
Rangers have two weeks to back Philippe Clement and give him the tools to win the title.
