It’s always difficult for new Rangers signings when they first arrive, expectations are never set at a low or comfortable level, defenders must be as good as Richard Gough and Terry Butcher, midfielders on the level of Barry Ferguson and strikers judged against Ally McCoist – the jersey often found too be too big for some.
In Fashion Sakala‘s case, a promising start featured a goal against Real Madrid that no other striker in our ranks could have scored because it was his pace that created the space for him to get his shot away, before injury saw him consigned to substitute appearances until his start against Sparta Prague – Steven Gerrard picking him specifically for his running power.
Speaking prior to Sunday’s win over Hibs, Sakala was interviewed by Rangers TV in which he detailed his plans for the future at Ibrox:
“I’m on a very big mission and I really want to make sure that I finish my mission and I’m very happy to be part of this big club, a club with passion, a club with big dreams, a club with the idea of winning trophies.
“This is a very big pressure that I decided to take and I believe that I made the right decision to be here and I think everything is going well, I am enjoying my time.”
Sakala always comes across as a player who appreciates the opportunity that he has at Rangers, rather than being overawed by the size of the club and the task he has in front of him, he has embraced it.
He is a different type of striker to the ones we have seen recently and very much falls into the category of being a rough diamond, he has the right attitude and physical attributes but he needs time, we have to remember that Alfredo Morelos was far from the finished article when he first arrived and that he was expected to be back up to Edouardo Herrera, and we all know how that turned out.