CHEAP SHOT! ... while Ibrox club play their joker by sealing Cummings loan
JASON CUMMINGS last night finalised his loan move to Rangers then set his sights on fulfilling a lifelong ambition by playing in an Old Firm derby.
The Scotland international striker joined from Nottingham Forest initially until the end of the season, with the Ibrox side having an option to buy him at the end of the campaign.
The 22-year-old was a big-game specialist at Hibs, scoring eight goals against Rangers and was part of Alan Stubbs’ Easter Road side that famously beat Mark Warburton’s men 3-2 in the 2016 Scottish Cup final.
Cummings’ form against the Glasgow giants once saw him proclaim that betting on him to find the net against Rangers was ‘like printing money’.
He was also prolific in Edinburgh derbies against Hearts, scoring five
goals, and he is now hoping to take that kind of form into the Old Firm fixture, with Rangers next facing Celtic on March 10 at Ibrox. Cummings said: ‘I love playing in big games. The bigger the game it motivates me more and there’s a lot of big games in this league — especially the Old Firm. ‘Playing in an Old Firm game is something I’ve always wanted to do ever since I can remember. ‘It’s the ultimate game to play in and I can’t wait.’ Warburton paid Hibs £1million to take Cummings to Forest last summer but he has struggled to make an impact, scoring just once in the English Championship. New Forest boss Aitor Karanka omitted him from his first squad for the 1-0 home loss to Aston Villa at the City Ground on Saturday. Informed he would face limited game time in Nottingham, Cummings insisted the move to Rangers was a no-brainer. ‘I’m absolutely delighted to come to such a massive club,’ he said. ‘Once I knew Rangers
were interested there was no question in my mind that I wanted to sign for them. ‘I was told I was not going to play as much down south, so I wanted to get game time and get back to enjoying my football. I can’t wait to get started.’ With Kenny Miller injured and Eduardo Herrera facing an uncertain future, Cummings’ addition provides Rangers with a valuable option alongside the Scottish Premiership’s leading scorer, Alfredo Morelos. The Ibrox club, who have already sealed temporary deals for QPR midfielder Sean Goss and Brighton forward Jamie Murphy, are also close to finalising a loan move for Scotland and Norwich City centre-half Russell Martin. Cummings believes he can strike up a good understanding with the young Colombian and hopes he can add to the one Scotland cap he gained against the Netherlands during a friendly match at Pittodrie in November. ‘Hopefully I can play up front with (Morelos),’ he said. ‘He looks the type of player I would like to play with. He likes a goal himself, he’s strong, he’s young and I could see us linking up well. ‘Obviously, as a team we want to push Celtic as much as we can. ‘And personally I want to get myself back into the Scotland squad. Hopefully I can do that and I want to score as many goals as I can. ‘Everyone knows what I’ve got to offer. They know I score goals, work hard for the boys and every time I go out there at Ibrox I will give 110 per cent.’