Why Rangers must sign £1.5m striker

Glasgow Rangers should be bitterly disappointed with how the 2025/26 campaign went, from Russell Martin’s tenure to how they ended the Scottish Premiership season.

The Ibrox giants failed to win a single trophy for the second successive season, and will be hoping to end their barren run under new head coach Derek McInnes.

They have opted to go with a domestic appointment, bringing him in from rivals Hearts, instead of looking down south or further abroad for a new boss.

On top of going domestic for a manager, the Gers have also looked close to home for new signings with Lawrence Shankland and Cammy Devlin, who have both been brought in from the Jam Tarts.

Rangers need more signings like Lawrence Shankland

Shankland was the club’s first signing of the summer transfer window, joining before Danny Rohl left to be replaced by McInnes, and he looks like a terrific piece of business by the Gers.

The experienced Scotland international scored 88 goals in 171 appearances in all competitions for Hearts during his time at Tynecastle, and arrives at Ibrox as a proven goalscorer who should be expected to hit the ground running next season.

Shankland scored 16 goals in the Premiership during the 2025/26 campaign for Hearts, and only Motherwell’s Tawanda Maswanhise (17) outscored him, scoring more than every single Rangers player in the division.

McInnes, who managed him at Tynecastle last term, can reasonably expect the 30-year-old attacker to be a reliable presence in front of goal for the Light Blues next season, because he is a proven and experienced Premiership scorer.

The Gers should be looking to bring in more players like Shankland to bolster their squad because they come with less risk attached than signings from further afield who have no prior experience in Scotland, as those additions may or may not be able to adapt to the league.

Rangers join the race to sign their next Shankland

The 49ers may be going down a safer route with their recruitment strategy this summer, as they are looking at a player who could come in as their next Shankland ahead of next season.

Journalist Alan Nixon, via his Patreon, Glasgow Rangers are one of the teams interested in a deal to sign Stockport County centre-forward Adama Sidibeh in the summer transfer window.

The reporter claims that Blackburn Rovers, Middlesbrough, and Bristol City from the English Championship are also in the race to secure the Gambia international’s signature.

He adds that Blackburn are currently leading the race for the 28-year-old number nine and that they hope to agree a deal with Stockport for a fee of £1.5m in the coming weeks.

The Gambian number nine would arrive at Ibrox as a Shankland-esque signing because he already has plenty of experience in Scottish football, having joined Stockport from St. Johnstone in the January transfer window.

During his time with the Saints, the £1.5m-rated striker scored 18 goals and provided eight assists in 80 appearances, including six goals in the Championship in the first half of last term.

His form after moving down south to play for Stockport was particularly impressive, though, as he racked up six goals in 13 League One appearances in the second half of the season.

Sidibeh scored nine goals in 1,232 minutes in all competitions for The Hatters, which meant that he averaged a goal every 137 minutes for his current club, scoring even more regularly than Shankland did in the Premiership last term (157 minutes per goal).

Not only would he arrive as a striker in fantastic goalscoring form, but the Gambia international would also join as a player who already knows what it takes to be successful in Scotland, having played 46 times in the Premiership for St. Johnstone.

Sidibeh, who has scored five goals in nine caps for his country, could link up with McInnes’ side to be an excellent back-up option to the likes of Shankland, Youssef Chermiti, and Bojan Miovski.

For a bargain fee of £1.5m, the Stockport star could be a great value-for-money addition to the squad to come off the bench when needed or to start in the cup competitions, providing physicality from his previous spell in Scotland and goalscoring quality.

Signing players like Shankland, Devlin, and Sidibeh can help to create a core of players who are reliable and know what it takes to perform consistently in Scotland, which can then allow the club to sprinkle in riskier signings with higher ceilings to take the team to the next level.