The first move that Glasgow Rangers made in the summer transfer window was a deal to bring Lawrence Shankland to Ibrox on a permanent deal.
He joined from Scottish Premiership rivals Hearts after scoring 16 times in the division in the 2025/26 campaign, and initially signed for Danny Rohl to bolster his striker options.
However, the German soon left for RB Salzburg and was replaced by Shankland’s old Hearts manager, Derek McInnes, seemingly putting the forward in the perfect conditions to shine at Ibrox.
The 31-year-old attacker was given the club captaincy before the start of the season, possibly due to his pre-existing relationship with the new manager, but it has not been an ideal start to the campaign for him since then.
Why Rangers should not have given Shankland the captaincy
The captain’s armband should go to a player who is expected to start week-in-week-out so that they can consistently provide both leadership and inspiration to their teammates on the pitch.
James Tavernier was the first-choice right-back for almost all of his tenure as captain at Ibrox, but Shankland has already lost his place in the number nine position for the Gers.
He came off the bench against Jablonec on Thursday night as Rangers were dumped out of the Conference League on penalties after a 1-0 loss in 120 minutes of action.
|
Vs Jablonec |
Lawrence Shankland |
|---|---|
|
Minutes |
75 |
|
Shots |
3 |
|
Shots on target |
0 |
|
Key passes |
0 |
|
Big chances created |
0 |
|
Ground duels won |
1/5 |
|
Aerial duels won |
2/6 |
His only goal in seven matches for the Scottish giants so far came in the 1-1 draw with Jagiellonia in their Europa League qualifier, and that goal was a penalty in a match that ultimately saw them knocked out of the competition.
Shankland’s performances have not been good enough and McInnes has wasted little time in dropping him to the bench in favour of Ryan Naderi for the last three games in all competitions.
Giving him the captaincy, therefore, is currently looking like it may have been a mistake because he has failed to prove that he deserves to be a regular starter, which should be a prerequisite for being the captain.
Why Rangers move for £9m star is bad news for Shankland
Now, the club are looking at a move for another striker whose arrival at Ibrox could send the Scotland international even further down the pecking order this season.
Speaking on Hotline Live (26/08/26), journalist Scott Burns revealed that Glasgow Rangers are not quite as close to signing Portland Timbers centre-forward Kevin Kelsy as reported elsewhere.
The reporter claims that sources at the club have denied that a deal for the Venezuela international is done for £9m, but added that all parties are “confident” that the striker will be heading to Ibrox before the end of the window.
Burns stated that the move will “probably” happen and that the 22-year-old centre-forward is expected to become the latest addition to McInnes’ squad, but it just may not happen as quickly as other outlets have reported.
This update on the striker’s proposed move to Scotland should come as bad news to Shankland, because it means that he is set to face further competition for his place in the starting line-up.
Kelsy has been in impressive form for Portland Timbers in the MLS in 2026 and could arrive at Ibrox to hit the ground running as a prolific number nine, as he has scored seven goals in his last ten league outings.
|
Kevin Kelsy’s last 10 MLS games |
|
|---|---|
|
Opposition |
Goals |
|
LAFC |
0 |
|
San Diego |
0 |
|
Chicago |
0 |
|
Seattle |
1 |
|
Dallas |
1 |
|
Seattle |
2 |
|
San Jose |
0 |
|
Inter Miami |
0 |
|
Montreal |
1 |
|
Kansas City |
2 |
He has racked up nine goals in 15 starts in the division since the start of 2026, on par with his xG of 8.94, whilst also creating four ‘big chances’ and supplying two assists for his teammates.
The 22-year-old attacker, who is closing in on a £9m move to Glasgow, is a powerful centre-forward who can offer physicality, goals, and creativity in the number nine position.
Kelsy has won 61% of his aerial duels in the MLS this year, showing that he can be dominant in physical battles with opposition centre-backs, whilst Shankland has lost 80% of his aerial battles in the Premiership this term.
The arrival of the Portland Timbers marksman could, therefore, be further bad news for the Scottish ace because it could force him down to third in the pecking order, behind Kelsy and Naderi.
Should that become the case, it will look like an even more curious decision to hand Shankland the captaincy, as he may struggle for starts in the league moving forward.
