Following the deadline day arrival of Ryan Naderi at Ibrox, there is now depth in the centre-forwards ranks for Glasgow Rangers, having already snapped up Bojan Miovski and Youssef Chermiti over the summer.
Is it merely a case of quantity over quality, however? Well, that is yet to be determined, with the moves for Miovski and Chermiti so far failing to go as expected, with the pair scoring just eight Premiership goals between them.
On Wednesday night, for instance, Danny Rohl‘s side failed to kill the game off at Fir Park, even while facing ten men in the closing stages, with Chermiti squandering a one-on-one chance on the half-hour mark.
Third and fourth on the list of highest scoring players in the division reside at leaders Hearts, while in second spot is Celtic’s Benjamin Nygren, with it yet to be seen who will be the man to supercharge Rangers’ own title bid.
|
Premiership top scorers – 25/26 |
|
|---|---|
|
Player |
Goals |
|
Maswanhise |
13 |
|
Nygren |
12 |
|
Shankland |
11 |
|
Braga |
10 |
|
Bowie |
8 |
|
Maeda |
7 |
|
McGrath |
7 |
|
Tavernier |
7 |
|
John-Jules |
7 |
There did appear an intent to land the man who tops the charts, Tawanda Maswanhise, to do just that in January, although the Ibrox side will have to wait until the summer to get that deal over the line.
Latest on Rangers’ interest in Maswanhise
It was a January dominated by talk of striker signings for the Glasgow clubs, with both sides looking for that edge in the race to better Hearts to the title.
In the case of Rangers, there had been reports that Rohl and co were looking at then-Hibernian star, Kieron Bowie, while fellow Premiership sensation, Maswanhise, was also under consideration.
A move for the Zimbabwean was mooted, although Motherwell boss Jens Askou – while not naming any specific clubs – suggested that his high-flying outfit had managed to fend off “extreme interest” in the Premiership’s top scorer on deadline day.
‘Well have held on to their 13-goal talisman, although as per Football Insider, a summer exit could be in the offing, with the Steelmen said to be willing to listen to offers for the 23-year-old at the end of the season.
Both Rangers and Celtic are said to be ready to rekindle their interest in the summer, with Maswanhise’s stock soaring even higher having claimed the division’s Player of the Month award for January.
From largely playing youth football up until moving to Fir Park in the summer of 2024, the in-demand speedster has exploded onto the scene over the last six months or so.
Hopefully, Ibrox’s own young sensation can follow that same trajectory.
Rangers might have already signed their own Maswanhise
As noted above, before moving to Motherwell 18 months ago, Maswanhise had actually made just a solitary senior appearance for former club Leicester City, racking up 70 games for the Foxes’ U21 side.
£6m Ibrox flop should never play for Rangers again if they sign Maswanhise
This Rangers flop should never play for the club again if Tawanda Maswanhise is brought to Ibrox.
There were no doubt concerns over his ability to make that transition from youth football to regular senior involvement, although after scoring just six times last season, the 17-cap international is now shining as the Premiership’s most feared forward.
That rapid rise provides hope that the aforementioned Naderi – hailed as a “promising” signing by commentator Derek Rae – can also blossom into a future star of Scottish football, following his late switch from Hansa Rostock.
There remains that intrigue, like with Maswanhise, over whether the 22-year-old will be able to adapt to the rigours of the Premiership, having only competed in the lower leagues of German football to date.
Indeed, his recent senior experience at Rostock saw the towering marksman score 13 times in 45 games, although prior to that, he had mirrored Maswanhise in largely operating in youth football.
Before joining his former employers in 2024, Naderi had been on the books at Borussia Mönchengladbach and Dynamo Dresden, albeit without featuring in the first team for either side, ensuring it is something of a gamble that Rangers have made with their £4.7m investment.
That said, with two goals on his first start in the 8-0 thrashing of Queen’s Park, the early signs are promising, with Naderi mirroring Maswanhise as a youthful, mobile striker who has plenty more to his game than merely marauding around the penalty area.
Comfortable operating as a number ten or second striker, the elegant forward did provide five assists in the first half of the campaign in Germany’s third tier, showcasing the many strings that he has to his game.
There might be a period of adaptation needed, as there was for Maswanhise at Motherwell last term, yet it shouldn’t be too long before Naderi is tearing it up as Rangers’ own prolific, attacking figurehead.
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