When Glasgow Rangers signed a relatively unknown Colombian called Alfredo Morelos in the summer of 2017, all Pedro Caixinha was expecting from the striker was that he replicated his form for Finnish side HJK Helsinki, where he had scored 46 goals in just 62 appearances.
He certainly exceeded expectations.
Despite scoring just 12 goals and finishing his final season at the Light Blues trophyless, Morelos had done enough in the previous five campaigns to go down as something of a cult hero among the Ibrox faithful.
He became the highest-ever European goalscorer for the Gers, taking the accolade from club icon Ally McCoist, while helping Rangers win their 55th league title but eventually, all good things must come to an end, with the 27-year-old leaving the club upon the expiration of his contract.
The onus is now for Michael Beale to source a replacement for Morelos during the transfer window and although Sam Lammers has arrived to bolster the attacking options, he isn’t the sort of player that can replace Morelos’ goals.
Could they perhaps lure Benie Traore to Ibrox this summer? As the youngster has been linked with a move to the club and the Gers have already had a £2.8m bid rejected by Swedish outfit BK Hacken according to Alan Nixon of The Sun (via Glasgow Live), with an offer of £4m preferred.
Could Benie Traore be the next Alfredo Morelos at Rangers?
There is no reason why the youngster couldn’t turn into Morelos 2.0, especially with his potential move to Glasgow sharing some similarities to that of the 27-year-old.
Firstly, Traore would arrive at Rangers aged just 20. The Colombian was also 20-years-old when he arrived in Scotland, joining a few days before his 21st birthday and his youthful nature certainly didn’t impact his performances on the pitch, scoring 18 goals in his debut season.
Secondly, Traore has shone for Swedish side BK Hacken over the previous three seasons, scoring 24 goals in 56 appearances and although not quite as prolific as Morelos during his tenure in Finland, it shows he has a clear eye for goal and could certainly make an impression at the Gers by joining from a Scandinavian club.
This suggests he has everything in his locker to become the heir apparent to the former Rangers hitman and with talent scout Jacek Kulig lauding the forward as a “jewel” and “talented” just last month, Beale should be giving Hacken what they demand for the player to get a move over the line as soon as possible.
The success of Morelos has shown that signing players who have performed well in countries such as Finland can pay dividends and there is no doubt that Traore could become the next big attacking talent at the club should he make the move in the coming weeks.
