Can’t afford to keep him
No silver means they should cash in
THE magic, the mayhem. The maverick and the madness, it’s time for Scottish football to say goodbye to Alfredo Morelos.
Take the money and run Rangers, with a fond farewell and a thank you. If £20million hits the table this week from Lille, Steven Gerrard should tell his board to bite their hands off as it’s time for the club to surround itself with assets and not liabilities. Devil’s advocate would suggest removing the most potent goal threat from the Ibrox squad is managerial insanity but the reality with the Colombian is the devil is in the detail. Eighty-two times he’s found the net in little over three seasons in a Light Blue shirt, but it’s the bookings, the distraction, and being a one-man wrecking ball for title-winning aspirations which tip the balance on the profit or loss ledger. Ironically for a man who almost always wears a look of petulant bemusement, for a while now there’s been a mood swing over the need to keep the hitman at all costs. Even Gerrard’s taken to eye-rolling whenever the future of his prized asset is brought up in interviews. Privately he’s probably keen to see the back of someone who’s tested his fledgling managerial abilities to the max and that moment last March when Morelos was sent off for an elbow on Scott Brown was telling. He said: “I can’t defend him any more. I think I’ve gone above and beyond. I’ll still protect him, but it gets to a line and he was probably already above that line with me.” There you have it, the trust between player and manager isn’t easily forged and this relationship was broken.
For all the headlines, both transfer speculation and the good, bad and the ugly, the sense is this month could well provide the closing chapter. The 25-year-old was always going to prove damaged goods when he came from HJK Helsinki in July 2017 in a deal worth a shade over £1m. His boss at the time, Mika Lehkosuo, spoke about his efforts to try to iron out the bad habits. Educating his young striker about the disciplines over food, sleep, recovery training, gym work, and coaching, there were also references which hinted some far from ideal training habits.
Morelos as a 19-year-old had a standing start on all of these learning processes and that’s without even getting into the Achilles heel of a unprofessional temperament. Despite a brief sign of progress on that front, let’s be honest, he’s just another player who wouldn’t learn and his career is destined to become one ‘why always me’ moment after another.
And so it came to pass six years later, during his time in Glasgow, it’s been one controversy after another after another and Gerrard’s long since had his fill of him.
Goalscorers are a precious commodity but the lack of success proves this project has failed through the South American’s inability to channel his inner Morelos.
His inability to score in Scotland’s biggest fixture has cost Rangers dear on more than one occasion – most recently in last season’s Betfred Cup Final when he missed a string of chances including a penalty as Celtic left with the silverware.
Taking in £20m for a player when the penny hasn’t dropped is unbelievable business in anyone’s language. Rangers have options which will cushion his exit, the likes of Cedric Itten and Kemar Roofe looking more than capable of providing the focal point of the attack, backed by Ianis Hagi, Ryan Kent and Joe Aribo.
There’s a bottom line with Morelos and it’s not just the £20m. Cast your mind back through the montage of his biggest moments here and you see the goals but the standout incidents are being reckless in big games, failing to keep his composure and letting the side down.
It’s a huge factor in why Rangers are still without a trophy under Gerrard and why Morelos must be sacrificed for the greater good and the pursuit of some much needed glory. Good player that he is, there are too many flaws and too little learning.
Rangers will miss the goals but there will also be a muttering under the breath from many, ‘good riddance’.