Rangers have reportedly been on the trail of Siriki Dembele for some time now with Peterborough United’s director of football, Barry Fry, claiming that we had scouts in attendance as far back as last year.
The forward was in fine form in their promotion season scoring 11 goals and registering 12 assists, the sort of numbers that Steven Gerrard demands from his support strikers and wide men.
It looks as though Dembele is on his way out of Peterborough, refusing to sign a new contract, which means he has just 12 months left on his current deal, something Rangers are being tipped to take advantage of by pundit Paddy Kenny, as told to Football Insider:
“It’s a clever move and clever way of doing things, waiting for players to get near the end of their contracts.
“Even if it’s a bit of a gamble, you might even end up getting someone you want on a free, then it’s only costing you wages.
“Peterborough have had an amazing season, getting promoted to the Championship. So I’m sure that if he’s been good enough to play there he could be a success at Rangers.
“If you’ve got the chance to go there, you can’t really turn it down. If it’s a choice between that and Peterborough, I’m afraid to say it’s got to be Rangers.
“As I’ve said before, the manager makes a massive difference too.”
Gerrard, and Ross Wilson, have gradually built a well balanced squad and are now in the process of tweaking any weak areas. With Brandon Barker and Jordan Jones deemed surplus to requirements, Dembele could remain a target even though Fashion Sakala is already on board.
One major difference is that Dembele – brother of Celtic’s Karamoko – would count as a home grown player so instantly becomes more beneficial for UEFA squad lists. Kenny is right, if the choice is working for a football legend and Champions League football or a long, hard, slog in the Championship, it’s not much of a contest – surely?