Lawrence Shankland has been making giant strides in the Scottish second division with Dundee United. The Tangerines are well clear of everyone and are on their way towards the Scottish top flight as they have an 18 points lead on the top of the table. Shankland has played a massive role in that as he has 25 goals across all competitions already.
His impressive form is attracting plenty of attention, and both the Glaswegian giants have already been linked (Daily Record) with him. Celtic recently scouted him around a week ago. Shankland’s links with Rangers has died down a bit in the January window. However, we believe that the Gers should look to make a move for him this month.
Shankland valued around £3m
Recent reports from the Scottish Sun states that Championship club Stoke City have entered the race to sign him. Dundee United’s owner Mark Ogren has made it clear that prospective clubs would have to pay over £3m to sign the in-form Scotsman this month.
Rangers’ struggles after the winter break
Rangers have started their second half of the season slowly, and they were dealt a body blow against Hearts where they lost a one-goal advantage to lose 2-1. Alfredo Morelos was severely missed as Jermain Defoe lacked the sharpness to score against an inspired Hearts side.
Defoe’s record has been fantastic so far this season, but it cannot be ignored that he has scored a fair share of easy goals in the form of tap ins and penalties. It cannot be taken away from him that he is always at the right place at the right time, but he has found it hard to score when a defender has been on his heels. He doesn’t have the pace anymore to stretch the game or go past players, and that was visible at the Tynecastle.
Why should Gerrard look to get Shankland this month?
Hence, Rangers should look to add an explosive option like Shankland before the transfer window shuts down. With English clubs also chasing him, Shankland could be tough to lure in the future. The 24-year-old is known to be a Rangers fan, and that could give Gerrard an edge over other clubs to sign him.
Rangers are not in desperate need to add firepower up front in the middle of the season, but it wouldn’t do any harm to bring in someone like Shankland who would add something new. Defoe isn’t going to be around for long anyway, and Morelos will continue to attract attention in the future from the top leagues. The £3m price tag might look steep as the Scottish international is yet to prove himself in the top flight, but the signs are there that he would score goals anywhere after his recent transformation into a lethal striker.
