Sport: Gerrard shows his attacking intent
● Gerrard – braced for the possible loss of Morelos – delighted as strikers Roofe and Itten join Ibrox in four-year deals
Rangers completed a striking double in the transfer market when they signed English forward Kemar Roofe and Swiss international Cedric Itten in the space of a few hours yesterday.
Having already concluded the transfer of Roofe from Anderlecht for a fee believed to be in the region of £4 million, the Ibrox club wrapped up a deal with St Gallen for Itten understood to be worth around £3 million. Both players have signed four-year contracts.
Rangers manager Steven Gerrard, bracing himself for the possible sale of his top scorer Alfredo Morelos to Lille in the coming weeks, expressed his delight with his fifth and sixth acquisitions of the summer transfer window.
“Cedric is a goalscorer who will add further strength and depth to our squad,” said Gerrard. “The fact we have announced two attacking options in the same day highlights our intent to bolster our squad as we begin the campaign.
“I am pleased that a player of Cedric’s ability and potential has decided to join Rangers as he embarks in the next stage of his career.”
The 23-year-old, who joined St Gallen from their Swiss Super League rivals Basel for £400,000 two years ago, had one year remaining on his contract. The 6ft 2ins front man scored 34 goals in 61 appearances for St Gallen.
Itten broke into the Swiss international squad last November, scoring three goals in his first two appearances for his country against Georgia and Gibraltar.
Roofe, meanwhile, admits he has been taken aback by the whirlwind nature of his move to Rangers.
The 27-year-old moved to Anderlecht from Leeds United at the start of last season and still had two years left on his contract.
“It’s amazing,” said Roofe after completing a deal which went largely under the radar until his arrival at Rangers’ training ground.
“Things happened so quickly, so it’s difficult to get a perspective of what’s really going on. But obviously coming here to the training ground, seeing the environment and meeting the staff, you realise this is serious. It’s a big place.”
Roofe, born in Walsall and eligible to play international football for Jamaica, began his career at West Bromwich Albion but was unable to make a first-team breakthrough with the West Midlands club.
After loan spells at Vikingur Reykjavik, Northampton Town, Cheltenham Town,
“Two attacking options in the same day highlights our intent to bolster our squad as we begin the campaign”
STEVEN GERRARD
Colchester United and Oxford United, he made a permanent move to Oxford in 2015. Roofe scored 26 goals in the 2015-16 campaign to help Oxford win promotion to League One, earning him a £3.15m transfer to Leeds that summer.
After scoring 33 goals in 123 appearances for Leeds over three seasons, proving a hugely popular figure with the Elland Road support, Roofe joined Anderlecht in a £5.4m deal.
Playing under the management of former Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany, pictured, at Anderlecht, he scored seven goals in 16 appearances before his season was curtailed by a calf injury suffered during the winter break.
“I am delighted to join Rangers and look forward to meeting up with my new teammates,” added Roofe in an interview with Rangers TV.
“Rangers are a huge club with ambition and I know this is the right fit for me to progress my career. I am looking forward to experiencing Ibrox and am excited to play in Europe.”
Roofe is not eligible for Rangers’ rescheduled Europa League last-16 second-leg match against Bayer Leverkusen in Germany tomorrow evening but could make his debut in Sunday’s Premiership fixture against St Mirren at Ibrox.
“The main goal (for me here) is obviously to win and get success again (for the club),” he said.
“As a footballer, you want to keep testing yourself and you also want to be playing at the biggest clubs possible.
“Unfortunately with Covid, the fans won’t be there (at Ibrox) just now. But when it gets resolved, the atmosphere will be incredible. In my past, I’ve been blessed to be able to play in front of the Leeds fans and Anderlecht fans. Now this is another step and it’s going to be incredible.”
The arrival of Roofe and Itten will intensify speculation Rangers may accept any revised bid from Lille for top scorer Alfredo Morelos. The French club initially failed to meet Rangers’ valuation of the Colombian international striker, believed to be around £20 million.
But Rangers manager Gerrard was already committed to bolstering his firepower in the transfer market, regardless of whether Morelos stays or goes during the current transfer window which does not close until 5 October.
Gerrard expressed his satisfaction at the capture of Roofe who can operate either centrally or on the right in attack.
“Kemar is recognised throughout Europe as an intelligent attacker with an eye for goal,” said Gerrard. “I look forward to working with him and recognise his potential to further progress our starting XI.
“He has experienced the pressure and expectation at Leeds United and has played on the continent which will stand him in good stead for his time at Ibrox.”
Roofe’s signing follows the earlier recruitment of playmaker Ianis Hagi on a permanent deal from Genk for £3 million and the free-transfer signings of goalkeeper Jon Mclaughlin and defenders Calvin Bassey and Leon Balogun.
Rangers sporting director Ross Wilson says Roofe had been identified as a priority signing several weeks ago by the Ibrox club.
“Kemar was a primary target going into this transfer window and we are absolutely delighted that he has chosen to join Rangers,” said Wilson.
“He is a player that has been admired for some time by Steven and the staff and we are all very excited about what he can add to our team.”
“Rangers are a huge club with ambition and I know this is right fit for me to progress my career. I am looking forward to experiencing Ibrox... it will be incredible”
KEMAR ROOFE