Rangers look set to be missing the final piece required to secure the Scottish Premiership title, despite their latest victory.
On Sunday, the Light Blues defeated Dundee 3-1 at Ibrox, moving them two points closer to league leaders Hearts while also sitting two clear of Celtic, who played out a 2-2 draw elsewhere. James Tavernier opened the scoring from the penalty spot, before substitute Danilo and Djeidi Gassama netted in stoppage time to ensure all three points went to the Gers.
Rangers have been active in the January transfer window, welcoming three new signings to Ibrox already.
However, the club’s business is far from finished, with links emerging to Sunderland’s Dan Neil and a number of other potential European targets. Despite the win over Dundee, one worrying theme is clear: the striker position remains a weak point. Bojan Miovski failed to score again on Sunday, highlighting the need for reinforcements up front.
Interestingly, Rangers’ captain and right-back, James Tavernier, now leads the club’s scoring charts in the league with six goals, according to Sportsound pundit Rory Loy.
“Tavernier is Rangers’ top scorer in the league with six goals. Miovski and Chermiti are behind him on four,” Loy said. “For Rangers to find themselves so high in the table and so close to the top, it’s crazy given the lack of goals from forward players.”
The situation may partly be the result of summer departures, when a number of players left Ibrox and new faces were brought in. Among those who departed was Cyriel Dessers, who often faced criticism during his time in Glasgow. However, his absence is now being felt more acutely. In his final season at Rangers, Dessers scored 29 goals across all competitions and maintained an average of 0.77 goals per 90 minutes in the Scottish Premiership. By contrast, Miovski has eight goals this season, averaging just 0.27 per game.
Looking back, it’s easy to see the impact a striker of Dessers’ quality could have on this Rangers squad. With him still in the team, the Light Blues would likely be in an even stronger position to challenge for the title.
The implication is clear: Rangers need to bring in a proven goalscorer in the final days of the transfer window to complete their squad and give themselves the best chance of winning the league.
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