According to the latest reports from the Sun, Rangers are going to lock horns with Celtic for the signature of Hearts of Midlothian’s striker Uche Ikpeazu. Apart from the Glaswegian giants, English clubs like Cardiff City and Hull City are also in the mix to sign this former Blackpool forward.
Rangers are likely to come up way short off Celtic in the title race as they currently sit 13 points behind in the table. The consensus around Ibrox is that Steven Gerrard has managed to close the gap between the two sides, but the Premiership table definitely paints a different picture.
Therefore, we expect Rangers to consolidate in the upcoming summer window. Given the way Ikpeazu has troubled defences in the Premiership, he can be a decent bet for the Bears.
What Can Ikpeazu bring to the table?
Ikpeazu is a proper no. 9 who acts as a traditional target man up front. Standing at 6ft3inches, the 24-year-old uses his strength and physicality well to protect the ball and hold up play. Defenders in the Premiership have often found him tough to contain as he is smart with his movement and tough to shrug off the ball. The striker has managed five goals and four assists in 19 appearances, and with better players around, he can definitely come up with better numbers.
Value for money
The report from the Sun adds that Hearts can demand £1m for the striker. Even though the Jambos got him to sign a new contract last month, the deal definitely looks like a bargain given that Ikpeazu is still just 24 and he is currently at the peak of his powers. Rangers have someone like Alfredo Morelos at their disposal, but there is a good chance that he could be sold in the upcoming summer transfer window.
Will he fit into Gerrard’s plan?
Gerrard has already got someone like Kyle Lafferty at his disposal, but the English manager has used him sparsely throughout the campaign. It’s true that given Morelos’ goal-scoring returns, it was hard to look beyond him. However, Lafferty can still do a top job as a target man. If Morelos goes on to leave the club, Gerrard is expected to look for a striker who will be similar to him in terms of attributes.
Even though Ikpeazu looks a bright star in Hearts’ lineup, we don’t see him scoring 20 plus goals for Rangers. As a backup option, Rangers can definitely consider signing him, but if the Bears want to reach Celtic’s level, then they probably need to look at more proven strikers.
