It’s fair to say that going into the summer transfer window that Pedro Caixinha has a clear idea of the kind of team he wants to form at Ibrox next season. Rangers have been plenty busy in the transfer market so far, securing the services of four players so far.
Bruno Alves, Ryan Jack and Fabio Cardoso have all joined up on a permanent basis while Dalcio has arrived from Benfica on loan.
Light Blues fans are excited and for good reason. They’ve had to endure a really poor season in the Scottish Premiership, finishing dozens of points behind Celtic and even finishing behind Aberdeen. With no success in any of the domestic cup competitions either, they need improvement badly.
That means as well as bringing players in, Caixinha will need to prioritise moving some on, both for squad harmony and to free up resources for other targets.
With that in mind we reckon there are two obvious contenders to leave the club and ONE star signing that we think could really enhance their ambitions next season…
Axe: Joe Garner
Joe Garner arrived at Ibrox with a big reputation and weighty transfer fee attached and he definitely didn’t live up to either. Ineffective for the vast majority of the season, it’s true he did improve slightly in the final weeks. On the whole we can’t see him ever being a player to celebrate at the club and he would likely represent a decent transfer fee in the summer window, even if they don’t recoup all that they paid last year.
With just ten goals in all competitions, Pedro Caixinha’s side can do a lot better next season. If they are to challenge Celtic they need a striker who can bang in the goals on a consistent basis against both lesser teams in the division but also against sides in the top six, including Brendan Rodgers’ Hoops themselves.
It’s of course difficult to attract a signing like that but we think there could be one in the Light Blues’ backyard that can really improve their attack next season…
Sign: Jason Cummings
With 69 goals in three season with Hibernian, Jason Cummings is one of the most consistent and lethal strikers in Scottish Football. While it’s true all of those goals have come in the Scottish Championship, he is well placed to repeat those goalscoring feats in the top-flight next season, with or without Rangers.
Hibernian fancy making their mark on the Scottish Premiership next season and that could be bothersome for Rangers who simply need to finish at least second or risk complete fan revolt.
In signing Hibs’ best player, it would be a real statement of intent that they plan to be the team that challenges Celtic for the title, especially in the wake of signing Aberdeen captain Ryan Jack on a free transfer.
Cummings isn’t just a token signing though, he could really be the man that the Gers have been crying out for all season to get onto the end of chances in the penalty box.
Martyn Waghorn was their top scorer this season with 15 goals, but as Cummings’ record in Edinburgh suggests, he’s good for at least 20 goals a season. He also thrives on the attention and big games and that kind of mentality would go down a treat at Ibrox.
Axe: Andy Halliday
Put simply, Andy Halliday does not have a future in the Rangers midfield. Yes, he’s a boyhood fan and yes, he loves the club but as this season proved, sometimes that is not enough if you want to make at a massive club like Rangers.
While he was impressive throughout their promotion from the Championship to the top-flight in 2015/16, he’s struggled badly to make the step up and with Ryan Jack coming in to stamp his authority on the midfield in a defensive sense, we just don’t see where Halliday fits in.
He is a big personality in the Rangers dressing room and the last thing Pedro Caixinha needs is influential players unhappy and not getting a game as he tries change the culture and processes at Auchenhowie.