With reports claiming that Jermain Defoe is approaching his last few months as a Rangers player, the recruitment team will be sitting watching hour after hour of potential replacements but there could be someone available near by who has already proven his worth in the Scottish Premiership.
Vital Rangers has suggested a move for Lawrence Shankland with the Scotland international soon to be entering the last year of his contract, but it is another domestic hitman that could be worth a second look.
Kevin Nisbet has been linked with a move to Rangers on a few occasions before he made the step up to top flight football and after a first-half of the season that saw him top the scoring charts, January unrest and a drop in form has seen him have to make do with a place on the bench in recent weeks.
Handing in a transfer request just six months into a four year deal probably isn’t the best way to endure yourself to your boss and with Nisbet’s demotion coinciding with a return to form for Hibs, he faces a battle to regain his starting place.
When Birmingham City attempted to pair Sam Cosgrove and Nisbet together a few eyebrows were raised when, first of all, Hibs turned down a £3million offer but secondly, when the striker through his toys out – how much of this was his doing and how much was the interference of his representatives is another story.
With 13 goals and 5 assists in 32 appearances this season, he deserves to be considered as an option to replace Defoe, as we’ve seen from our strikers, it is more about the sum of the parts rather than one player being responsible for scoring all the goals on their own.
Kemar Roofe and Cedric Itten are already in place so I’d be surprised if we splash out big to replace Defoe or Alfredo Morelos and, although £3m might seem steep for a player in Scotland, the going rate has to be paid for the game’s most valuable commodity – players that know where the goal is.