If a recent report from the Daily Mail is believed to be true, Rangers have renewed interest in Lyndon Dykes ahead of a potential summer transfer. The Scottish ‘number 9’ had an underwhelming run for Queens Park Rangers, but his scoring form for the Tartan Army could see Michael Beale script a reunion north of the border.
The 27-year-old Australia-born centre-forward started playing amateur and semi-professional football during his early years. But he plied his trade in Scotland and joined Queen of the South in 2016 for better exposure and opportunities.
After three seasons in the Championship, Dykes was roped in by top-tier outfit Livingston. There he impressed while spearheading the attack and the English championship outfit QPR secured his services for a fee of around £2m. Although he has only scored 30 goals in 120 appearances for the West Londoners, his presence high up the pitch helped Beale script an exquisite run of results before leaving for the Rangers job.
The Light Blues are undergoing a transition in the attacking third amid the exit of Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos. Both the attackers have left as free agents upon the expiration of their Ibrox deals. However, the Glasgow giants have reacted swiftly by roping in Sam Lammers from Atalanta. They also have Kemar Roofe and Antonio Colak as the striking options, but the gaffer is eyeing further reinforcements for specific reasons.
Why Rangers Should Opt for Dykes
Despite some decisive goals, Roofe’s Rangers stint has been a stop-start due to persistent injury problems. He can’t be relied upon week in week out, whereas Colak’s struggles following a calf strain sustained during the World Cup break remains a worrying sign. Fashion Sakala is more comfortable and menacing from the right-hand flank, and Beale, therefore, must not deploy him up-front as a makeshift targetman.
Meanwhile, the Scottish heavyweights have suffered a blow in pursuit of Cyriel Dessers. According to Calcio Mercato journalist Raffaele Amato, the long-term Gers target prefers to stay in Italy in spite of going down with Cremonese. He is a transfer target of Torino and the Nigeria international would choose Turin over Glasgow if an offer is tabled by the Maroons.
Dykes might have not scored plenty of goals in a single season, but his development in England should see him succeed for the famous Blues. The creative spark of James Tavernier, Sakala, Ianis Hagi and the other stars would offer him ample opportunities to improve his stats.
