Morelos has a sell-by date that Rangers cannot miss
RANGERS are facing something of a Hobson’s Choice over the future of Colombian striker Alfredo Morelos.
The predicament is thus: four days before the start of the SPFL Premiership season Steven Gerrard finds himself asking who will score the bulk of his side’s goals as they seek to stop Celtic from winning a 10th league title in a row?
Jermain Defoe is injured for an as yet indeterminate period of time. Hamstring injuries can be notoriously slow to recover from and it was telling to watch Gerrard’s reaction – exchanging worried glances with his assistant Michael Beale – when a visibly pained Defoe remained prone on the turf as he awaited treatment during the friendly against Motherwell at Ibrox last week. That question will be answered just as soon as the results of the scan Defoe had afterwards are made public.
Until then, it leaves Gerrard looking at Morelos as his one recognised striker, with those capable of filling a short-term gap – i.e. Jamie Murphy and Greg Stewart – more suited to other roles. As in life, timing is everything in football. Depending on who you read over the weekend, there were various suggestions regarding the state of a putative Morelos transfer to French club Lille: the 24-year-old had agreed personal terms with the Ligue 1 side, that he had his heart set on a move and that Rangers had rejected a bid of £13million plus bonuses, the timing of which seems to have been some time ago.
As the miasma cleared, the Lille president Gerard Lopez appeared to pour cold water on the suggestion that Morelos has already agreed personal terms. Speaking to L’Equipe he said: “Where some are wrong is when we see specific names coming out. They think a deal will be done. Even if we’re interested, it’s only in combination with others.”
And this is where it becomes tricky for Gerrard. With Defoe injured and Morelos eyeing up a move, he may need to sell the latter to generate the necessary funds to replace both. It’s a problem not helped by the fact that the French summer transfer window does not open until August 15.
The Rangers manager has already admitted that he needs more options, stating after the Motherwell friendly: “The striker position is the one area that’s giving me a slight concern as we haven’t got enough numbers. But we are actively looking to try to add in that area.”
If Rangers take to the Pittodrie pitch on Saturday with Morelos leading the line, they will do so with a degree of uncertainty. Fielding a player who is angling for a move is always problematic – no matter how professional he may be, it is only natural that there might be a subconscious response that results in a drop off in performance. When that individual has had the kind of troubled relationship that Morelos has endured with
Scottish football, then it is a clear concern.
Rangers are refusing to budge on their price for the player, however, they do so from a position of weakness. Post-Covid, dealing in football transfers has become a buyer’s market and Morelos’ form has tailed off so badly since the turn of the year that he is no longer valued at what he once was. Indeed, the impression is that Rangers are waiting for interest to materialise rather than shooing away suitors. Their valuation of the player last summer is believed to have been in the region of £25m but that has since dropped to around £17m, the amount believed to have been offered by Qatari side Al Duhail, who it is understood maintain a watching brief.
But to trigger an auction, you need multiple parties showing interest and so far that has not been forthcoming. The fact that the French transfer window does not open until next month further muddies an already unclear picture, as does Lille’s interest in other talented young footballers.
They are also monitoring Jonathan David, the Gent attacker. Luis Campos, the Lille sporting director who discovered Anthony Martial, Thomas Lemar, Bernardo Silva and Fabinho, clearly knows how to spot a player with potential. David is also wanted by Manchester United, Arsenal and Leeds United and fits the profile of the kind of young player with exponential potential that Campos favours so much. So too, does Morelos, but one would figure that the Canadian would represent the safer bet given the Colombian’s combustible nature, even if he will cost approximately £10m more than the Rangers striker.
ONE would imagine that Gerrard will be privately pleased to move Morelos out of his squad. When he is driven, he is a formidable talent; the problem is he loses that focus too easily. And his failures against Celtic cannot simply be overlooked as bad luck. He has the look of someone who doubts himself when he plays against the champions, he overcompensates for that uncertainty by putting himself at the centre of controversy. It has cost Gerrard and Rangers in the past in the shape of red cards and, more recently, a missed penalty in last December’s Betfred Cup final.
For all his goalscoring exploits in the Europa League, it places a question mark against his name. As that competition’s top scorer, it has given Rangers a commodity that can be marketed in simple terms. Any agent worth his salt can use his prolific ratio in European competition as a unique selling point. But there is always the danger that the sell-by date will expire. Rangers must hope Morelos has left Ibrox before it does.
A player angling for a move is problematic