Rangers will add players in the summer, of that there is no doubt, and a reliable back up goalscorer won’t be far from the top of the list.
Jermain Defoe is unlikely to have his contract extended but will at least leave knowing that he has finally achieved his dream of winning a league title, his contribution since he arrived should always be remembered – finding a replacement to match his numbers is not going to be easy.
With this in mind Vital Rangers identified Jordan Rhodes as a player who is more than capable, the Sheffield Wednesday striker may just have turned 31 but is out of contract in the summer and with 114 Championship goals in 317 appearances, he knows full well where the goals are.
His recent form shows exactly what he could offer, five goals and an assist in his last 12 appearances, made all the more impressive when you consider that he has started just six of these and is playing for a team that is struggling perilously close to the bottom of the table.
I was always a fan of Rhodes as far back as his time at Huddersfield Town when he was scoring goals for fun as a fresh faced youngster and Scotland Under-21 cap, that he only made 14 appearances for the senior side is shocking considering we hadn’t qualified for a major tournament in over 20 years, especially when goals were always hard to come by.
The son of former St Johnstone and Dunfermline keeper Andy Rhodes recently told Yorkshire Live of his return to form and his contract situation:
“I feel like I’m playing with a smile on my face, and I’m really enjoying it.
“It’s nice to be out there and it’s nice to be wanted again.
“I’m doing my best,” and on where his future lies, he said, “that’s for the powers-to-be, it’s out of my control.”
He isn’t the sort of player that could replace Alfredo Morelos or Kemar Roofe, nor could he run the channels or support the attack from a wider position like Cedric Itten, but what he could do is the same job that Defoe has been doing for the last few seasons – score goals against the likes of Hamilton, Ross County or St Mirren, it’s no accident that we have won the league when we have had four quality strikers available to call on and it is a template we must stick to if success is to be maintained.