As the January transfer window approached, speculation suggested that Rangers held significant interest in Hearts striker Lawrence Shankland. Contrary to expectations, they refrained from making a bold move to secure Shankland’s services; instead opting for a loan signing—Fabio Silva from Wolves—valid until this season’s end. Nevertheless, it remains advisable for Rangers to rekindle their pursuit of coveted talent: Shankland–a player who has long been on their radar.

In the current Scottish Premiership, Rangers are presently engaged in a title race with Celtic, arguably in pole position, trailing only one point behind their Old Firm rivals, yet possessing a crucial game in hand. This notion resonates through the latest football betting odds, Philipe Clement’s team remains favourites for title. However, a counter-argument could be presented, if Rangers possessed an out-and-out goal scorer, a Shankland, for instance, one might posit they would not trail by any points but instead lead outright.

This season, across all competitions for Hearts – particularly in the Scottish Premiership where he has made thirty appearances – Shankland 28 years old, exhibits an impressive goalscoring form. He boasts a record of twenty goals and two assists to his name here; moreover with twenty-seven more goals alongside five additional assists (in a total of thirty-seven outings), he demonstrates that knowing where the back of the net is not merely coincidence but rather proven skill. His direct goal contribution stands at a stunning average of every 1.2 games

Meanwhile, Rangers’ current top scorer is right-back James Tavernier, who is also on set pieces. Tavernier has fourteen goals to his name this season, but ten of those have come via spot kicks. Further down the goalscoring list is striker Cyriel Dessers, who has weighed in with twelve goals. If Rangers top scoring striker is not only behind Tavernier and, at the time of writing, eight adrift of Shankland, it tells you something.

Under Clement, Rangers could very well end the season as Scottish Premiership champions. But immediately, the onus will be on the club to build on that and to allow the manager to shape the squad in a way that will see them become the strongest force in Scottish football, at least for the foreseeable.

Ultimately, this means that Rangers must be the team to dominate and pip Celtic to the punch in the title races that are to come. One way to ensure this is the case is to have a goalscorer who is going to guarantee you twenty-five goals a season as a minimum. Shankland is that striker, and while he will turn twenty-nine in August, he’s proving he is more than capable of delivering the goods for years to come.

In the summer, Shankland will enter the final year of his current contract with Hearts, and they, like Rangers, will have a decision to make. The Scotsman’s goals have been crucial for them this season, but they will also not want to lose Scottish football’s most prolific marksman for free further down the line. But it will be up to Rangers to get a deal on the table that works for everyone.