If there is one thing that Rangers desperately need, and which has become utterly apparent beyond everything else, it is a proper striker. As Kevin Kelsy joins Rangers the problems till now have been apparent.w
With Youssef Chermiti injured, Rangers only have three options available and frankly, none of them offers a convincing solution.
Lawrence Shankland will score goals, but he cannot do all the work himself. He needs a partner and a foil. Rangers simply do not favour Bojan Miovski and he does not appear to have any particular strength to his game.
Lastly, Ryan Naderi has shown his excruciating limitations up front from the moment Rangers signed him. A single league goal since January does not exactly represent value for money. He offers no viable solution.
Kevin Kelsy offers Rangers something different
The lack of a target man has plagued Rangers and, of course, the big man coming in is Portland Timbers striker Kelsy.
The Venezuelan arrives at Rangers following a very strong MLS season with the Timbers and the club hopes he can solve a huge problem. Literally. The boy stands 6ft 4′ tall and definitely represents a handful.
His record last season in America’s top flight looked strong. He scored plenty of goals and provided quite a few assists, but that campaign represented his breakout season.
Before then, his record did not look spectacular, although he gained some strong experience in Ukraine with Shakhtar Donetsk.
Rangers have placed a major bet on Kelsy
Put simply, Kevin Kelsy joins Rangers and Rangers have placed a lot of eggs in this basket, £9.5M worth of them in actual fact, and Kelsy should sign this week. He may even make the squad for Wednesday if Rangers announce him quickly enough.
We understand that he is taking his medical after flying to the UK to finalise the move. He represents exactly what Rangers need. That does not necessarily mean him in particular, but Rangers desperately need a big target man.
Does Kelsy represent the right choice for that role? Well, at an initial £9.5M rising to £12m, we certainly hope so. The transfer represents a gamble, but any signing at that price will carry one.
Daniel Cousin provided the perfect blueprint
Rangers have lacked a Daniel Cousin figure since the Guinean himself left Ibrox. Cousin represented an absolute colossus up front.
His sending off in the UEFA Cup in 2008 will always remain a bugbear for Rangers fans and his attitude did not always impress. However, at a pure footballing level, he probably ranked among the most titanic strikers Rangers have had in decades.
A big, strong and bustling target man who could do almost everything has left a huge vacuum up front for far too long. Rangers have simply lacked somebody big who can actually play and provide a focal point for the attack. Cousin offered that and then some.
Nobody will ever forget his colossal Champions League display against Barcelona, when he provided more or less the sole reason Rangers secured that point. He even provoked a meltdown from that little Argentinian Lionel Messi.
Barcelona could not stop Cousin and he held everything together for Rangers. It was simply an outstanding performance which showed exactly what he could do.
Can Kelsy finally solve the striker problem?
Kelsy comes from the same mould. He is a big man who should offer strength in the air and power on the deck.
Rangers have lacked that kind of imposing target man who plays without fear and ruffles defences for far too long. Nevertheless, his gait and profile match exactly what Rangers seek.
Time will tell whether he possesses the quality to succeed, but Rangers are getting a fairly free scoring striker from last season. He should provide the big, strong and bustling presence up front that Rangers have missed for what feels like many decades.
Now we will see whether Kelsy finally solves Rangers’ striking problem.