Rangers could sign Shankland’s new Braga in dream first McInnes deal

Not many, if any, Glasgow Rangers supporters could have predicted how the second week of June was going to go for the Scottish Premiership giants.

Danny Rohl looked set to lead the team into pre-season next week after being given the backing of the board at the end of the 2025/26 campaign.

Yet, the German head coach is now set to leave Ibrox to join Austrian Bundesliga side RB Salzburg, after they made a move to poach him from the Light Blues.

The Gers have wasted no time in finding his replacement, though, as Chris Jack reports that Derek McInnes has agreed a three-year deal to take over from Rohl at Ibrox.

He led Hearts to a second-place finish in the Scottish Premiership, finishing above Rangers, in the 2025/26 campaign, and he will now be looking to win trophies in Glasgow next season.

Why Rangers need to sign their own Claudio Braga

Now that McInnes is taking over at Ibrox and will be working with Lawrence Shankland once again, the Gers need to sign their own version of Claudio Braga.

Shankland and Braga’s partnership made the Scottish manager’s system a success because they complemented each other brilliantly at the top end of the pitch, with the former’s physicality and hold-up play and the latter’s impressive goalscoring around him.

The Portuguese forward won the league’s Player of the Season award with a return of 14 goals and three assists in 38 appearances for the Jam Tarts, but he struggled in his duels at times, losing 64% of his physical battles.

Rangers already have Youssef Chermiti in their squad as a number nine option, but he is closer to Shankland in style than Braga, as he is a physical striker who can compete with centre-backs and be a focal point up front.

That is why the club should dip into the market to add another option in that area of the pitch for McInnes, so that he has his own version of the Hearts award-winner.

Rangers could sign their own Claudio Braga for £8m

Prior to the news that Rohl is on his way to Salzburg, the Ibrox giants were linked with an interest in a forward who could be their own Braga next season.

Rangers are reportedly interested in signing Leeds United striker Joel Piroe, who is said to be available for a fee of £8m, and he could be Shankland and McInnes’ next Braga.

The Suriname international only started two games in the Premier League this season, which makes it hard to judge his performances, but his form in the Championship in the 2024/25 campaign suggests that he could be a fantastic signing for the club.

Piroe is similar to Braga in the sense that he struggles in physical duels against aggressive defenders, as he loses the majority of his duels on the deck and in the air.

However, like the Portuguese star, the Leeds marksman makes up for his lack of physicality with brilliant goalscoring and creative attributes as a second striker or number ten.

Piroe, who was described as “clinical” by journalist Josh Bunting, won the Golden Boot in the Championship to help Leeds to win the title in the 2024/25 season, which shows that he can be a consistent and reliable goalscorer in a team that is fighting for a title.

Like Braga, the ex-Swansea star also has the quality to provide creativity for his teammates at the top end of the pitch, as evidenced by his seven assists in his last season in the second tier.

He has also consistently shown a clinical edge in front of goal in his career. Piroe has scored 73 goals from 60.23 xG at Championship level for Swansea and Leeds combined, which shows that he rarely puts a foot wrong in front of goal.

That suggests that the £8m-rated star would be a lethal presence in the final third for McInnes, in the same way that Braga was in the Premiership this season, and be an excellent partner for Shankland.

Whilst Shankland can do the physical work as a focal point in the number nine role, Piroe can avoid duels and focus on getting into positions to show off his impressive finishing skills, providing McInnes with a dream first signing to complete his new front two.