How do you shake off a disappointing end to the season for Glasgow Rangers? Well, that’s what signing a statement means.
It’s hard to think of a more exciting and eye-catching addition at Ibrox in recent times. Lawrence Shankland seems to be everything Gers supporters have been craving.
The experienced striker, who has a proven track record in the Premiership, has delivered on numerous occasions in a Hearts shirt and almost led the Jambos to captaincy glory.
Even scoring the opening goal on the final day at Celtic Park was disappointing for the 30-year-old, but he could be the catalyst for Rangers’ own continued title bid next season.
Premiership 25/26 – Goals per 90 | ||
|---|---|---|
player | GP90 | the goal |
cermiti | 0.68 | 15 |
breast sex | 0.62 | 6 |
shankland | 0.58 | 16 |
Nygren | 0.57 | 16 |
Maswan Hise | 0.53 | 17 |
phone | 0.50 | 5 |
miofsky | 0.48 | 7 |
B. Graham | 0.46 | 4 |
bowie | 0.45 | 8 |
dollar | 0.45 | 5 |
Hopefully, poaching the Scotland international from Tynecastle is just the start of an explosive summer for Danny Rolle’s side.
Rangers preparing formal bid after signing Shankland
Rolle’s position appears to be secure at Ibrox, with Shankland signing on the dotted line on Tuesday ahead of the upcoming World Cup, with the club’s hierarchy seemingly not set in stone when it comes to strengthening the squad.
The former Dundee United player joins on a two-year deal with an option for a third player. This is the first time manager Andrew Cavenagh has pursued a proven Scottish or SPFL addition this summer.
The search has also sparked renewed interest in former Gers forward Josh Windass, with early talks taking place ahead of a potential reunion with Rolle in Glasgow.
However, a more concrete move appears to be in the works, with the Daily Record reporting that the Old Firm are also preparing to make a formal bid for Dundee’s Luke Graham.
Rangers have reportedly been monitoring the 22-year-old since the beginning of the year, with Rolle giving the green light to develop their interest.
The young centre-back was the subject of a £1.5m offer from Portsmouth in January, with Stephen Pressley’s side set to demand more than that amount.
Why Graham could be the centre-back Rangers have been waiting for
The defensive center has been through a lot of turmoil in recent years, especially after Connor Goldson left in the summer of 2024.
The experienced defender was a mainstay in the team that achieved title glory in 2020/21, but proved to be a rock under Giovanni van Bronckhorst the following season, helping the club reach the Europa League final and win the Scottish Cup.
Although not a flashy or necessarily eye-catching defender, Goldson was a last-line “warrior” according to Gerrard and proved to be a bargain after joining from Brighton in a £3m deal in 2018.
Emmanuel Fernandes, who arrived from Peterborough for a similar fee, has helped somewhat to fill Goldson’s void this season, but the side are still producing too many goals, conceding at least two in each of their last seven league games of the season.
Coach Rohr’s team needs someone reliable and serious to sort things out, and Graham, a monster dandy-man in his own right at 6ft 4in, could very well be that.
A left-footer like Goldson, who was traded to centre-back, can slot in at full-back if needed, and that flexibility could potentially be essential given the lack of depth outside of left-back Tuor Rommen.
Like Goldson, a key feature of Graham’s game is how much of a threat he is in opposition half, having scored eight goals for Dundee, Montrose and Albion Rovers.
In Goldson’s case, it must be said that the now 33-year-old was a regular at Ibrox, scoring 23 goals in 309 games and was a respectable return for a centre-back.
But first and foremost, Graham is something of a back-to-back duel-winning machine, winning 67% of his total duels and 70% of his aerial duels in the Premiership this season.
For comparison, going back to the 2020/21 season, Goldson averaged similar averages of 71% and 72% in the same two metrics respectively, helping Gerrard keep an impressive 26 clean sheets in 38 starts.
That’s the level the Gers need to get back to, and young Graham could be just the guy to help do that.
Having had little success signing centre-backs such as Robin Propper, Nasser Dziga and Derek Cornelius, the Dundee sensation could once again bring much-needed stability, just as Goldson once did.
With Shankland: Rangers move closer to signing next James Tavanier
With the signing of Lawrence Shankland all but confirmed, Rangers are not hanging around when it comes to signings for next summer.
