Glasgow Rangers still have a few days left to bolster Derek McInnes‘ squad before the summer transfer window officially slams shut on Thursday night.
The Light Blues are still in the market to add another centre-forward to their squad after they lost Youssef Chermiti to an ACL injury earlier in the month. He is expected to miss most, if not all, of the 2026/27 campaign.
A high-quality addition in that position is needed after Ryan Naderi and Lawrence Shankland’s respective struggles at the start of this season so far, particularly in the Scottish Premiership.
Shankland was given the nod from the start and scored the winning goal from the penalty spot against Aberdeen, but it was far from an impressive display from the number seven.
Assessing Lawrence Shankland’s performance against Aberdeen
The Scotland international, who scored the only goal of the game for McInnes’ side, stuck his penalty into the top corner after Djeidi Gassama was brought down in the box.
However, his general play throughout the match left far too much to be desired. The striker looked a yard short of the pace and intensity required to get the better of the Aberdeen centre-backs, which made him ineffective in open play.
His lack of sharpness was best summed up by his failure to get to the ball first when Min-su Kim’s shot was rolling towards the line and a Dons defender beat Shankland before he could tap it into an empty net.
|
Vs Aberdeen |
Lawrence Shankland |
|---|---|
|
Minutes |
86 |
|
Shots |
3 |
|
Goals |
1 |
|
Key passes |
0 |
|
Big chances created |
0 |
|
Ground duels won |
0/5 |
|
Aerial duels won |
1/3 |
|
Fouls committed |
3 |
The 31-year-old marksman lost all five of his ground duels and two of his three aerial duels, which is further evidence of his struggles with the physicality and intensity required from a Rangers striker.
Shankland has yet to score from open play in his eight appearances in all competitions for the club, and he may be in trouble if the Gers are able to get a high-quality striker signing over the line.
How Rangers can sign an upgrade on Shankland
One of the targets being eyed up by the Premiership giants is a player who could arrive at Ibrox as an upgrade on the ex-Hearts man this season.
According to Foot Mercato, Glasgow Rangers are lining up a late window move to sign Ferencvaros centre-forward Lenny Joseph before the end of the transfer window.
The report claims that the 49ers seriously appreciate the Haiti international as they weigh up a move to bring the striker to Ibrox before Thursday’s deadline.
It adds that the Hungarian side are not looking to cash in on their star number nine, though, and would demand a fee of at least £5m to cash in on him, which means that the Gers will have to spend a decent amount of money if they want to get this deal done.
Joseph, who played three times for Haiti at the World Cup, could be a fantastic signing for the Light Blues if they opt to pay the money required before the deadline.
Whilst he is unproven in a major European league, the 25-year-old marksman caught the eye with his performances for Ferencvaros in the Europa League in the 2025/26 campaign.
|
25/26 Europa League |
Lenny Joseph |
Rank vs STs |
|---|---|---|
|
Goals |
2 |
Top 37% |
|
xA |
1.31 |
Top 4% |
|
Assists |
2 |
Top 8% |
|
Successful dribbles |
10 |
Top 8% |
|
Duels won |
50 |
Top 6% |
|
Aerial duels won |
23 |
Top 9% |
|
Aerial duel success rate |
51.1% |
Top 22% |
Joseph produced two goals and two assists in four starts and 12 appearances, showing that he can make in impact in the final third at that level, whilst he also excelled from a physical perspective.
The striker, who was involved in Haiti’s first goal at the World Cup against Morocco, ranked highly for dribbles and duels won, which are two areas that Shankland struggles in.
In the 2025/26 Premiership season, the Scotland international has lost 82% of his ground duels and 77% of his aerial duels, whilst he has completed one attempted dribble in three matches.
Shankland does not offer enough mobility and physicality, as evidenced by his performance against Aberdeen, and Joseph’s form for Ferencvaros suggests that he would be far more likely to offer more to the team in general play.
On top of his mobility and physicality, the Haiti international has scored 20 goals and provided ten assists in all competitions since the start of last season, including four goals in eight Europa League qualifiers this term.
Joseph could be an instant upgrade on Shankland by offering McInnes’ side a physical and mobile outlet who can hold the ball up against strong defenders, whilst also being able to run the channels and match the intensity of the game.
Therefore, the 49ers should pay the money required to secure his signature in the coming days, as the forward could be exactly what the Scottish manager needs.
