STEVEN GERRARD has identified Kyle Lafferty as the striker he wants before the end of the transfer window and I think it would be a great move for both the club and the player.
Kyle hasn’t been a prolific scorer throughout his career but he is a scorer of important goals, as he showed with the winner for Hearts against Celtic.
His goal return is good, he got 19 last season for Craig Levein’s side, and he would certainly add something to the Rangers attack.
It shouldn’t be too hard a deal to complete but Hearts will have their price because they know how important he is to them, as he showed on Saturday.
But, with his contract up at the end of the season, they can’t ask for silly money. As long as they are sensible and Rangers are willing, it should be a done deal before the end of the window.
He can play as a target man, he can run in behind, he can play as a lone striker or he could play alongside Alfredo Morelos. In fact, I think he would be the ideal partner for him.
Importantly, though, he knows what life at Rangers is all about and that is something you can’t underestimate when you are signing players.
Hopefully it is only a matter of time before the move is completed because I know how much it would mean for the big man to come back to Ibrox.
He has won leagues with Rangers before so he knows the demands and the expectations and it is a massive positive if you have someone in there with that experience.
Look at Allan McGregor. What a signing he has turned out to be already with his performances and the impact he has made on the squad.
Kyle came into Rangers in 2008 when Walter Smith paid more than £3million to bring him from Burnley and there is no doubt that Walter helped develop him as a player and a person.
He had that impact on a lot of the squad. Even if they were winners before, he took them up that extra 10 or 20 per cent and it was on the mentality side of it that Walter was very, very good.
You can see signs of that in Steven Gerrard. I am not comparing him to Walter Smith, but you can see how important mentality is to him and his signing policy and, for me, that is really healthy.
There was loads of pressure on Kyle when he first came in but he did really well and you can’t take that away from him.
He scored some hugely important goals – including in the 1-0 at Hibs when we won the league and against Kilmarnock on the final day the following year – and he was a big player for what was a really successful side.
Off the park, he was a bit of a loony! But he was great for team spirit and great for the dressing room and you hear Craig Levein talking that way about him now as well.
I think he has had his problems in the past but you are getting a different player this time around and he will only benefit that dressing room if he signs.
He certainly isn’t a bad egg and I think he will fit into that group of players well and become a key member of the squad and the team.
This time around, you are getting a more mature Kyle Lafferty and a player with great experience in European football and in international football.
Look at his performances for Northern Ireland over the last few years. He has become their main man and really led by example for them.
So there is no doubt that Rangers would be getting a better player now than we had the first time around if he does indeed come back to the club this month.
It is clear that Steven wants another striker to come into the squad and it is important for him to have that competition for places up front.
Morelos might be thinking that he will start every week no matter what and having someone like Kyle there pushing could help him improve again.
He had a slow-ish start in the first couple of games but he is starting to do what he does best now and that is putting the ball in the back of the net.
He has got to be looking to finish top of the scoring charts this season and he is more than capable of doing that.
I think he has improved as a player this season. His overall play is better and you see him coming out of the area, holding the ball up and bringing others into play.
But he is still hungry for goals and with Lafferty there you could see Rangers go two up at times and have a different approach.
Umar Sadiq is still settling in and getting up to speed and that will take time. He has shown he is strong and quick but you need to let him find his feet at Rangers.
The main thing for Steven is that the team continues to win while that is ongoing, for all players, not just Umar, and that there are signs of progression every week.
Rangers have shown already that they have cut the gap from the last couple of years but now it is about whether they can sustain those levels. I think they can and they are more than capable of that but getting another couple of players in would certainly help that.
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