Rangers could make late move for exciting £34k-p/w star

Glasgow Rangers centre-forward Cyriel Dessers may have scored two goals over the weekend, taking his tally to five in six games for the season, yet there are still question marks over his ability.

Before 2012 and all that came with it, the Ibrox side prided themselves on having two or three top-class strikers at the club at any given time.

Take Walter Smith’s first spell in charge, for example. At one stage, he could call upon Ally McCoist, Mark Hateley and Gordon Durie, arguably three of the best British centre-forwards of the 1990s.

Even under Alex McLeish, the Gers had players such as Shota Arveladze, Michael Mols, Peter Lovenkrands and, to an extent, Ronald de Boer, who could all score 15 or more goals in a single season.

One name seems to stand out among the rest when it comes to strikers of this time period, however – Dado Prso.

The Croatian may not have scored as much for the Gers as the others, or even played as many games, but his impact in such a short space of time means he is a cult hero among the Ibrox faithful.

Dado Prso’s Rangers statistics

Long gone are the days of Rangers announcing the signing of a Champions League finalist on a free transfer, but these were the heady days of 2004.

Of course, this was the start of the club’s eventual downfall, but at the time, signing Prso was hailed as a masterstroke, especially considering how poor the 2003/04 season had been for the Light Blues, failing to win any silverware.

The Croatian striker had scored 16 goals for AS Monaco during his last season with the French side, which included a stunning four-goal haul against Deportivo La Coruna in the Champions League.

He went on to star for his nation at Euro 2004, bagging against France, but by this stage, he was a Rangers player.

McLeish partnered Prso with Nacho Novo, creating a ‘little and large’ front two which caused chaos for opposition defences throughout 2004/05, as the pair netted 45 goals between them in all competitions.

The veteran Croatian was like a battering ram, using his strength to bully opponents. While he may have lacked pace, his footballing brain ensured he would often get in excellent positions without the need to race past a defender.

Prso scored twice against Celtic that season, in a League Cup tie and in the top flight within ten days of each other, adding in another 18 goals as the Gers won both trophies.

Another goal against the Parkhead side at the start of 2005/06 in a 3-1 win looked like it could establish the Light Blues as the top team in Scotland yet again, but they fell away and failed to win a trophy.

The former Monaco striker scored 12 that term , before scoring just four times during his final season, which ended abruptly due to a knee injury, subsequently announcing his retirement.

Rangers haven’t quite had a striker like him, perhaps Alfredo Morelos is the only logical comparison.

The Gers have signed a few more Croatian players since then , notably Nikica Jelavic, Borna Barisic and Antonio Colak. Could Philippe Clement continue the love affair with the country by signing a Croatian winger this summer?

Josip Brekalo’s 2023/24 season in numbers

A few days ago it was revealed that Rangers were showing interest in Fiorentina winger Josip Brekalo with regard to making a move for the player before Friday.

Unless Clement can move a player or two on, however, this move could be tough to get through, and it would likely be a loan deal until the end of the season.

This could work in the club’s favour, especially considering how good Brekalo was during a temporary spell with Hajduk Split in the second half of last season.

Across just 16 games for the Eastern European side, Brekalo scored twice while registering eight assists in the top flight, an impressive haul.

The winger ranked fourth among the squad for goals and assists (ten) in the league, along with ranking third for shots on target per game (0.6), third for big chances created (four), first for key passes per game (2.6) and for successful dribbles each match (1.9). It’s no surprise, therefore, that Bundesliga expert Ronan Murphy once suggested he could “torment defenders everywhere”.

Considering Brekalo played just 14 league matches, these are incredible numbers, proving that, when given a chance, he is likely to demonstrate his vast talents.

What Josip Brekalo can offer Rangers

Three goals all season certainly isn’t prolific, but the sheer volume of chances the player creates for his teammates more than makes up for his lack of goals.

Indeed, he gets into dangerous positions on a regular basis, as evidenced by the fact he ranked in the top 11% for progressive passes received per 90 (9.52) when compared to his peers in Serie A.

He certainly isn’t shy about taking shots on goal, ranking in the top 8% for shots on target percentage per 90 (44.4%) in the Italian top flight, which proves that if he could improve his finishing skills, then Brekalo would surely add many more goals to his repertoire.

These traits alone could be excellent for the Light Blues as they aim to put a subpar start to the season behind them and challenge Celtic for the Premiership trophy.

The £34k-per-week star may play in a different position to that of Prso, but if Clement manages to get a move for the winger agreed before Friday, it could be a similar stroke of genius to that of McLeish bringing in the former Monaco hitman.

The final few days of the month will be busier than usual on the transfer front, as the Belgian aims to improve his squad ahead of a crucial few months.

Brekalo would be an ideal signing and if he has just half of the impact Prso had, then he will prove to be popular with the supporters indeed.