MISSING MORELOS? It says much about the quality of recent strikers at Rangers that some fans would still welcome back troubled star
It's been quite a while since the bulletins on Alfredo Morelos have been anything other than troubling.
Now on loan at Brazilian side Atletico National from parent club Santos, the Colombian’s arrest for drink driving last month came after a familiar run of stories pertaining to his lack of fitness, injuries and questionable professionalism.
Now 28, the former Rangers striker should be approaching his peak years. The truth is he’s been a diminishing force for three seasons.
The subject of a failed £16million bid from Lille in 2020, the fact Morelos was allowed to walk out the door at Ibrox for nothing last year summed up the lack of strategic thinking that’s held Rangers back for so long.
Yet, as underwhelming as the player was in his final days in Glasgow, it’s not hard to see why some fans still entertain fanciful notions of seeing him back in light blue again one day.
While this speaks to how effective Morelos was in his pomp, it also underscores how poorly served the club has been for forwards in recent times.
Now 28, former Rangers striker Morelos should be reaching his peak years
Cyriel Dessers has struggled to convince despite a decent goals rate
Bluntly, there have been far more misses than hits. And, without such a key component, a lack of tangible success has been inevitable.
Nothing sums up Rangers’ failure to properly address this long-standing issue better than this fact. In the past four seasons, James Tavernier, a right-back, has been the side’s top scorer twice and joint top scorer on two other occasions.
As impressive as the skipper’s exploits were for long enough, that’s a damning indictment on the supporting cast.
Those with no reason to reproach themselves included Jermain Defoe, who scored 17 goals in 2019-20, and the injury- plagued Kemar Roofe who contributed 16 times in 2021-22.
Going further back to Rangers’ first season back in the Premiership, Martyn Waghorn’s 16 goals in 2016-17 was respectable, as was the 18-goal contribution of Josh Windass the following year.
But, nine years after winning promotion from the Championship, too many strikers have simply not been up to the job or have been shown to be flashes in the pan.
There are plainly other reasons why the club have only won only three trophies in that period, yet none has been more significant than continually trying to squeeze square pegs into round holes.
Neither Kris Boyd nor Ally McCoist, two men who knew a thing or two about scoring goals for the club, would surely dispute that as they view proceedings these days from the comfort of a TV studio.
Sam Lammers' desperate spell at Ibrox is best consigned to history
Fashion Sakala never really stayed long enough at Rangers to fulfil his promise
Joe Garner was a fans' favourite but never lived up to the demands of Scottish football
Barring a time machine spiriting the pair back to their playing days, Rangers’ issues in front of goal look set to continue.
Those forwarding the case of Cyriel Dessers in the here and now take comfort in the numbers he’s delivered.
He hit the net 22 times last season and ten times already this term. From 20 paces, those stats are decent. But they do not reflect a poor conversion rate — or his flaky hold-up play.
Dessers is a decent forward who can provide occasional moments of magic. But there’s a reason why so much of his career was spent with lesser-known sides like Lokeren, Heracles Almelo and Cremonese prior to moving to Glasgow for £4.5m.
The true worth of any player is known by the time they reach their late 20s. That’s why none of the continent’s big fish took a bite before Rangers nibbled.
For all his limitations, Dessers is hardly the most glaring example of Rangers’ shortcomings in the final third in recent times. In fact, he’s not even close to being top of the pile.
Remember Joe Garner? How Rangers supporters must wish they couldn’t.
Signed by Mark Warburton for £1.8m from Preston, he never looked up to the the demands of Scottish football.
Antonio Colak's form fell off a cliff once Michael Beale took over as manager
Cedric Itten was a striker who promised much when he arrived but delivered little
Despite this, Rangers supporters warmed to him, even granting him a song to the tune of the old Dave Clark Five number Glad All Over. There was even a campaign to make it the Christmas No 1. The fact it sat at No 31 in the charts as the festive trees came down felt fitting.
Garner managed seven goals in 31 appearances in his only season before leaving for Ipswich in a cut-price deal. Now aged 36, he’s playing out his days at Oldham.
Cedric Itten was another who promised much but delivered little. The Swiss arrived from St Gallen in 2020 for £2.7m.
Although he did play a part in the title-winning season, his six goals in 37 games did not even trouble the top five at the club.
That was his high point. He managed just two goals the following campaign before being loaned out to Greuther Furth, with a permanent move to Young Boys coming at the end of that season.
He’ll be back in Glasgow in January when the Swiss side take on Celtic in the Champions League. By then, he’ll hope to have added to the meagre three goals he’s managed to date.
At least Itten is still visible at that level. That’s more than you can say for Antonio Colak.
The forward moved to Rangers on the back of scoring the goals for Malmo which knocked the Ibrox side out of the Champions League — and always had the whiff of an impulsive buy.
Despite a decent return of 18 goals in his one full season, the Croat’s form fell off a cliff once Michael Beale replaced Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
Rangers made a slight profit by quickly moving the player on to Parma. He’s yet to score for his latest club Spezia in Serie B.
Fashion Sakala was another who briefly threatened to provide the answer. After joining from KV Oostende under Steven Gerrard, he hit a dozen goals in successive seasons.
With pace to burn, he showed some promise but never stayed long enough to fulfil it. The minute Saudi side Al-Fayha showed him the money, he was gone.
Sakala’s exit opened the door for Beale to bring in Sam Lammers. Rangers were the latest club to believe they could be the one to turn the Dutchman’s potential into something special. Two goals in six months suggested otherwise.
Lammers left for Utrecht on loan, then Twente in a permanent deal last summer, a desperate spell in Glasgow best consigned to history.
The latest man to spin the wheel, Philippe Clement also released Roofe in the summer. The player had arrived from Anderlecht in 2020 with a reputation as being a talented player who was injury prone. Six months on, at the age of 31, he remains without a club.
Time will tell if Danilo enjoys better fortunes on that score. After an impressive start to life in Scotland, the man who signed from Feyenoord for an initial £5m under Beale can’t buy a slice of good luck. He’s managed just one goal in four appearances this season.
Perhaps, in time, Hamza Igamane will be the striker Rangers fans have long been waiting on. The young Moroccan is skilful, can shift, and is learning to use his physique to shield the ball with his back to goal the way Morelos used to.
For Rangers’ sake, it’s to be hoped he has a little bit more upstairs than the man the supporters once idolised.
