Glasgow Rangers went heavy on bolstering their forward line last summer with the £8m signing of Youssef Chermiti and the move to bring Bojan Miovski to Ibrox.
In Chermiti, the Gers signed a Premier League striker for their biggest transfer fee in 25 years, yet he has only scored four goals in the Scottish Premiership this season.
Miovski, meanwhile, joined from Girona on a permanent deal with a history of goalscoring in the division for Aberdeen, as shown in the graphic below, but he has only scored three league goals for the Light Blues.
Whilst these were high-profile moves, the club’s most successful striker signing in the past decade has been Alfredo Morelos, who joined from Finnish side Helsinki and went on to score 124 goals for Rangers, per Transfermarkt.
Rangers in talks to sign new striker
Now, the Scottish giants are reportedly looking at a number nine who could be their next version of Morelos at Ibrox if they can get a deal done.
According to Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg, Glasgow Rangers have submitted an offer of around £2.6m to sign Hansa Rostock centre-forward Ryan Naderi before the end of the January transfer window.
The journalist claims that the two clubs are in talks over a deal for the 22-year-old marksman, with the £2.6m bid now on the table for the German third tier outfit to consider.
Plettenberg adds that Naderi is keen on the move and is hoping that his current club will reach an agreement with Rangers to allow him to make the switch to Glasgow before next Monday’s deadline.
The reporter also states the Gers are “pushing” to get a deal done with “immediate effect”, which suggests that there could be more updates to come in the next few days.
Why Naderi could be Morelos 2.0 for Rangers
As was the case when Rangers signed Morelos from Helsinki, the club could be about to take a big risk on a player making a significant jump up in quality.
Naderi is currently playing in the third tier of German football and has not played any senior football above that level, per Sofascore, which means that the Light Blues are taking a risk on him being able to handle playing at a higher level.
Morelos, of course, made the step from Finland to Scotland and went on to be a prolific scorer for the club for many years, winning the Premiership title under Steven Gerrard in the 2020/21 campaign.
What made the Colombia international so good for Rangers was that he was more than just a goalscorer. He provided a physical presence with his bulky frame, and registered 57 assists in all competitions, per Transfermarkt, showing that he had creativity to his game.
Naderi’s performances, albeit in the third tier of German football, suggest that he can be a Morelos-esque figure for Danny Rohl at the top end of the pitch at Ibrox, if he can carry his form over to Scotland.
|
25/26 3. Liga |
Naderi |
Rank vs STs |
|---|---|---|
|
Goals |
8 |
Top 10% |
|
Chances created |
14 |
Top 15% |
|
Assists |
4 |
Top 3% |
|
Duels won |
94 |
Top 6% |
|
Aerial duels won |
51 |
Top 4% |
|
Aerial duel success rate |
58.6% |
Top 10% |
As you can see in the table above, the 22-year-old marksman offers goals, creativity, and physicality in the centre-forward position for his current club, particularly excelling in aerial duels with opposition defenders.
Meanwhile, Miovski has lost 66% of his duels in the Premiership to go along with his three goals, per Sofascore. Chermiti has won 49% of his duels, to his credit, but has only scored four goals and provided two assists in the division.
Neither of the current strikers available to Rohl have provided a well-rounded threat with goals, assists, and physicality, which may be why the former Sheffield Wednesday boss is looking to bring Naderi to Ibrox in the coming days.
The Gers do not have a complete striker who can offer all of the things that Morelos once did when the club last won the Premiership title, but the £2.6m-rated number nine has the potential to be that player for Rohl.
Rangers could see late £4m bid accepted to sign “standout” Chermiti upgrade
Rangers could see a £4m bid accepted for a reported transfer target who would be a big upgrade on Youssef Chermiti.
If he does make the move from Hansa Rostock and ends up being a big success, as Morelos was, then it is perhaps a sign for the Gers to explore different markets instead of splashing big money on Premier League flops and former Premiership stars from the past.
