Lawrence Shankland is still being written off by some of our support, and I genuinely cannot get my head round it. If you want to know what he would bring to Rangers, just look at how he has performed against Celtic. He has led the line, dragged their defence about and shown he is far more than a penalty-box poacher.
His movement and link-up play stand out. He drops in, takes the ball in tight areas and his passing range is excellent for a number nine. For me, he would offer Rangers so much more than just goals, even though he scores plenty of those as well.
A bluenose with quality and hunger
What makes it harder to take is knowing he is a real bluenose, a proper Rangers man who has never hidden his love for the club. You can see the desire he has to play at Ibrox. The ability is there, the mentality is there, and the willingness is definitely there.
Hearts will be delighted he is still theirs, and you can understand why. In my opinion he could have made a huge difference to our chances in big moments. Not just with his finishing, but with that mentality of a player who genuinely hates losing and understands the demands that come with playing for Rangers.
Rangers must value Scottish talent properly
For too long we have looked past Scottish or Scotland-based talent. There has to be a balance. Of course you want quality from abroad, players who can raise the technical level, but you also need winners who know this league inside out and are built for the pressure.
When you ignore that market, you risk missing out on exactly the type of character you need to get over the line in a title race. Players like Shankland, who are already fans of the club, are not just nice stories. They can be massive for the dressing room and for the standards in training every single day.
Why the Shankland doubts do not stack up
That is why I find the arguments against signing him so strange. You are talking about the top scorer in the country, a striker who clearly wants to play for Rangers, and who understands exactly what the badge means. How is that automatically bad business?
It feels like some of the criticism is personal rather than football-based. He has been called "not good enough" by parts of our support not that long ago, and yet he keeps answering those doubts on the pitch. At some point you have to judge a player on what he is actually doing, not what you once thought he was.
In my view, turning our noses up at a proven goal scorer, a Rangers-minded leader who knows this league, is the kind of mistake we have made too often. If we want mentality, goals and a bit of Rangers heart through the middle of the team, then players in the Shankland mould should be exactly who we are looking at.
Related Articles
About Rangers News Views
Rangers News Views offers daily Glasgow Rangers coverage including match reaction, transfer analysis, SPFL context, tactical breakdowns and opinion-led articles written by supporters for supporters.
