Rangers are handling Morelos’ transfer saga extremely well
By Durim Halimi
What started off as a major distraction for Rangers has now turned into a beneficial situation in a critical season.
Will Alfredo Morelos stay, or will he go? It remains to be seen, but with all the transfer speculation surrounding the Rangers star, his departure from Glasgow seems inevitable. Despite this fact, Steven Gerrard and the club’s front office are managing his situation well.
When Jermain Defoe went down with an injury in a pre-season friendly against Motherwell, and Morelos was reportedly nearing a deal with Ligue 1 outfit Lille, fans and pundits alike grew concerned for Rangers and how they would fare without their notable strikers.
Well, Gerrard’s squad is flying high at the moment with three consecutive victories to start the campaign, and Morelos seems to have put the rumors behind him as the Colombian international already has two goals to his name.
Rangers’ decision to not rush and sell Morelos to the first interested party that makes a respectable offer was the right call. Although Lille’s interest in Morelos is cooling off, there are plenty of other clubs keen on securing his services.
Teams south of the border in England’s top flight, such as Newcastle United, Everton, and newly-promoted clubs from the Championship continue to monitor his situation. With the 2020-21 campaign still a month out in England, Rangers could, and most likely will, see more offers close to their asking price come through.
In addition, the club’s newest arrivals – Kemar Roofe and Cedric Itten – are dynamic players who are fully capable of serving as effective replacements for the Colombian striker. Roofe and Itten have the talent and football acumen to score in double figures for Rangers, especially with the support they will receive from players like Ryan Kent, Ianis Hagi, and Joe Aribo, but with this being their first time playing in Scotland it will take some time to adapt.
That being said, holding on to Morelos for the next few weeks would lead to a win-win situation for the Gers. On one end, Roofe and Itten will gradually settle into the squad, better understand their roles on the front line, and adjust to the pact and aggression of Scottish football.
On the other end, Rangers know they are set to make a massive profit on the eventual sale of Morelos, a player they purchased from HJK Helsinki for £1m in June of 2017. Until a transfer exit is made official, though, Gerrard has plenty of depth to rely on at the striker position, and he will enjoy the internal competition between the attacking quartet.