There was plenty of fanfare when Glasgow Rangers officially confirmed the signing of Scotland international Lawrence Shankland as their first signing of the summer transfer window.
The experienced number nine joined from Scottish Premiership rivals Hearts, shortly before Derek McInnes and Cammy Devlin followed him, to bolster then-manager Danny Rohl’s forward options.
He arrived at Ibrox off the back of an impressive campaign for the Jam Tarts in the 2025/26 campaign. A return of 16 goals in 29 league matches was better than any Gers player produced.
However, the 31-year-old centre-forward, who has also been named the club’s captain, has yet to prove that he has the ability to make the step-up to be a consistent performer for Rangers.
Assessing Lawrence Shankland’s start to life at Rangers
A lot of responsibility was placed on Shankland’s shoulders when it was confirmed that he would replace James Tavernier to be the club’s new captain, and his displays on the pitch suggest that it may be weighing him down.
After six competitive appearances for the Light Blues, the Scottish number nine’s only goal for Rangers to date was a penalty against Jagiellonia Bialystok at Ibrox in their Europa League qualifier.
He played every minute of the club’s first two matches in the Premiership and looked off the pace from both a physical and a technical perspective, as the Light Blues were held to a 1-1 draw by Dundee United and lost to Hibernian.
|
26/27 Premiership |
Lawrence Shankland |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
2 |
|
Minutes |
180 |
|
Goals |
0 |
|
Big chances created |
0 |
|
Assists |
0 |
|
Ground duel success rate |
33% |
|
Aerial duel success rate |
20% |
Shankland failed to score a goal or register an assist in those 180 minutes, struggling to create high-quality chances for himself against more mobile defenders, whilst he was also dominated by the opposition’s players in physical duels.
These statistics suggest that he does not currently possess the physicality or technical quality to be a consistent and outstanding performer as a regular starter for the Gers, which means that the decision to award him the captaincy may come under fire down the line.
How Rangers can already replace Lawrence Shankland
The bad news for Shankland is that the club are in the market to add another number nine to their ranks, and that means that McInnes could already replace him as a starter in the league.
According to Football Insider, the 49ers are set to step up their pursuit of a Glasgow Rangers deal to sign Portland Timbers centre-forward Kevin Kelsy before the end of the window.
The report claims that the Gers have already failed in a £7.4m offer to sign the Venezuela international, which means that they may have to pay more than that to strike a deal for his services.
It adds that the forward has become one of the team’s leading targets before the deadline after Youssef Chermiti suffered a potentially season-ending ACL injury earlier this month.
The unfortunate injury to the Portugal U21 international has opened the door for the Light Blues to go back into the market for another striker, and that could end up being bad news for Shankland.
If the Gers can secure a move to bring Kelsy over to Glasgow, the 22-year-old powerhouse could arrive at Ibrox as an instant upgrade on the former Hearts talisman.
|
2026 MLS |
Kevin Kelsy |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
20 |
|
Starts |
15 |
|
xG |
8.96 |
|
Goals |
9 |
|
Big chances created |
4 |
|
Assists |
2 |
|
Ground duel success rate |
36% |
|
Aerial duel success rate |
61% |
The Portland Timbers star’s performances in the MLS in the 2026 campaign so far suggest that he has the physical qualities to offer more to McInnes’ side than Shankland.
Too often already this season the Light Blues have looked to go long from the back to use Shankland as a focal point, but he has lost 67% of his ground duels and a whopping 80% of his aerial battles.
Kelsy, meanwhile, has won 61% of his aerial duels in the MLS, winning 2.1 per match, and can provide Rangers with the physical presence that they need to go longer and link the midfield with the attack.
The 22-year-old attacker is not just an aerial threat, though, as he has scored 16 goals from 14.25 xG in the MLS since the start of the 2025 campaign, which shows that he is also a clinical finisher who can offer a threat in front of goal.
McInnes, therefore, could instantly replace Shankland as a regular starter in the Premiership by signing Kelsy as the Chermiti replacement before the deadline, as the Portland Timbers ace has the technical and physical qualities to arrive at Ibrox as an upgrade on the skipper.
Of course, it is down to Kelsy to adapt to Scottish football and prove that he can perform in the Premiership, but the evidence currently available suggests that he would be a terrific addition to the squad.
