Rangers legend Ally Mccoist has admitted that he was shocked his former side opted not to move for a true number nine in January following their issues in front of goal this season, likening current front man Cyriel Dessers to Chelsea's Nicolas Jackson.
Rangers striker options split opinion
It is no secret that Philippe Clement is not blessed at the top of the pitch as it stands. Dessers has been hit and miss since his arrival, with 13 goals in 30 Scottish Premiership appearances but a better record across all competitions. It led to Rangers drafting in Fabio Silva on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers in January, but he has also struggled.
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Though his endeavour cannot be questioned, his return of two goals in 13 games certainly can be, and with Rangers struggling to find the back of the net with concerning regularity this season, change seems inevitable this summer.
Rangers' struggles in front of goal
Fabio Silva
Cyriel Dessers
Appearances
13
30
Goals
2
13
Assists
0
3
Minutes per goal
339
144
Shots on target per 90
1.02
1.98
Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast on behalf of talkSPORT BET, Rangers legend Ally McCoist weighed in on the situation, admitting that the fans are split on their current no.9 options.
"I think the fans are kind of split. Silva's work rate is first class and Dessers scored two goals at the weekend [against Hearts]. His goal return has actually been good, but I think a lot of the fans perhaps feel that in many ways, he's maybe a wee bit like Nicolas Jackson at Chelsea whose goal return is acceptable but could be greater."
McCoist picks Shankland alternative
There was plenty of speculation that Hearts striker Lawrence Shankland would be making the switch to Ibrox in January, with McCoist labelling it the "obvious choice" for the Glasgow giants. Shankland leads the goalscoring charts this season, with 28 goals in all competitions for Hearts, and has forced his way into Steve Clarke's Scotland squad ahead of this summer's European Championships.
"I'll be honest, I thought that if they were going to sign another centre forward, they should probably have done it in the [January] window, and I think that Lawrence Shankland would have been the obvious choice", he told FFC.
"Shankland I think this season he's sitting on 28 goals or 29 goals, which is a fantastic return and I was a little bit surprised, I've not been privy to the financial knowledge at the club, maybe they couldn't afford it I don't know, but at that particular time in the window it seemed the sensible move for Rangers to make."
But though McCoist bemoaned Rangers' failure to move for the marksman, he did also identify an alternative this summer in the form of free-scoring Aberdeen striker Bojan Miovski, who he labelled "terrific".
"I think the lad at Aberdeen [Bojan Miovski] has been different class as well, terrific".
Though less prolific than his Hearts counterpart, Miovski has nonetheless managed to notch up 24 goals this season across all competitions, including four in Europe. Four years younger than Shankland, could he be the man Rangers opt for this summer to ease their goalscoring woes?