According to the latest reports from Belfast Telegraph, Rangers are interested in signing Bolton Wanderers’ striker Josh Magennis. The forward is set to enter into the final year of his contract with Bolton, and the English club could look to sell him to balance their book as they have entered into administration.
Magennis is a Northern Ireland international and he could very much end up replacing his countryman Kyle Lafferty at Rangers. The former Hearts player had a torrid time in his second spell at Ibrox, and he wasn’t able to contribute much on the pitch. Rangers are expected to sell him in the summer, or they could even look to terminate his contract which still has a year to run.
Steven Gerrard would be keen to add a striker who would show enough determination and desire to play for Rangers as reports had earlier came out that the manager was unhappy with Lafferty’s commitment. Magennis has an experience of playing in the Scottish Premiership as well as he was with Aberdeen and Kilmarnock before.
The 28-year-old striker was regular for Bolton last season as he made 45 appearances for them in all competitions, but he only managed six goals for them. However, he shouldn’t be judged based on those numbers as the club was in doldrums and Bolton had to forfeit their final game as the players were unwilling to play due to unpaid wages.
What will Magennis add to the table?
Magennis has 190 appearances to his name in the Premiership, and he managed a tally of 28 goals and 21 assists. The 41 time Northern Ireland international is a typical targetman type of a striker who can hold the ball up well and get his team-mates into play.
Gerrard should definitely look to add a big number 9 to his roster as both Jermain Defoe and Alfredo Morelos are strikers who like to run in between the defence lines. The Northern Irish forward can even surprise with his impressive pace, and he shouldn’t be taken as a slouch on the pitch
Good signing for the club?
A striker like Magennis can give Gerrard an option of plan B if certain things don’t go his way in a game. Reports say that Bolton might even have to let him go for free as they cannot afford to keep too many players on the book so Rangers can take advantage of that. He might not be a signing that would bring fans to their feet, but all in all, Magennis will be a shrewd acquisition for Gerrard and Co.
