Glasgow Rangers took another step towards qualifying for the league phase of the Champions League when they ran riot with a 3-0 win at Ibrox over Viktoria Plzen on Tuesday.
The Light Blues will now take a commanding lead to Czechia next Tuesday as they look to book their place in the play-off round of qualifiers for the competition.
Russell Martin will surely be delighted with the way that his team played against Viktoria Plzen, as his side looked solid and composed defensively and potent at the top end of the pitch.
The Gers boss brought Oliver Antman in for a swift debut and handed Cyriel Dessers his first start of the season, with the pair indirectly combining for the second goal.
Dessers, who also assisted the opening goal from Djeidi Gassama, expertly tucked his penalty away after the former Go Ahead Eagles winger won the spot-kick.
The Nigeria international should keep his place in the starting XI for the time being, because Danilo has failed to show that he has what it takes to be the starting number nine.
Why Danilo should not start for Rangers
Fitness issues for Dessers and Hamza Igamane provided the former Feyenoord attacker with an opportunity to start the first three games of the season for Rangers; both legs against Panathinaikos and the Scottish Premiership opener against Motherwell.
The 26-year-old forward should be in the prime years of his career and able to hit the ground running at the start of the campaign to be a reliable presence at the top end of the pitch for Martin.
Minutes
74
82
63
Shots on target
0
1
0
Passes completed
11
9
10
Key passes
2
0
1
Big chances created
0
0
0
Ground duels won
1
1
1
Aerial duels won
0
1
0
However, as you can see in the table above, that was not the case in the first three matches that Danilo started. The Brazilian lightweight offered very little to the team in and out of possession, with no goals, no assists, and just four duels won.
He was, rightly, dropped for Dessers for the clash with Viktoria Plzen and the Nigerian striker scored a goal and provided an assist, which was more than Danilo managed in the previous three games combined.
The former Eredivisie centre-forward has not proven himself to be reliable enough with his availability, either, as he has missed 53 games through injury in two years at the club.
This is why the Scottish giants should be in the market to find an upgrade on Danilo, and there is a fresh report linking them with a striker who would be exactly that.
Rangers make striker one of their top targets
According to TEAMtalk, Maccabi Tel Aviv centre-forward Dor Turgeman has emerged as one of Rangers’ top Ibrox targets to bolster their options in the number nine position before the end of the summer transfer window.
The report claims that Martin has approved the club’s pursuit of a deal to sign the Israel international, and that the Gers remain keen on a swoop for his services.
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However, TEAMtalk adds that the Light Blues need to cash in on a player before they are able to commit funds towards a potential deal for Turgeman, as they want to sell Dessers or Igamane in order to free up money for new signings.
The outlet also reveals that MLS outfit New England Revolution have made an offer to sign the striker from Maccabi Tel Aviv, which means that Rangers will need dominoes to fall quickly to avoid missing out on the forward.
It was reported earlier this summer that the 21-year-old dynamo has a price tag of around £5m, and it remains to be seen whether or not the American side will meet that valuation before the Gers have an opportunity to make their own move.
Why Turgeman would be a Danilo upgrade for Rangers
Given Danilo’s performances at the start of this season and his injury issues throughout his time at Ibrox, Rangers should be looking to sell the Brazilian forward to make room for the signing of Turgeman, who would be an upgrade on him.
As aforementioned, the Gers number 99 has missed 53 games through injury in the last two seasons, which means that he is not a reliable or durable player whom Martin can depend on.
Turgeman, however, has only missed five games through injury, all through one thigh issue last year, in his entire senior career to date, which suggests that he is far more likely to be available week-in-week-out for the Light Blues.
Availability is the best ability and that is why this is one of the big reasons why he would arrive as an upgrade on the former Feyenoord marksman.
The 21-year-old striker, who was described as “lethal” in the penalty area by writer and analyst Kai Watson, also has the quality to come in as a big upgrade on Danilo.
Appearances
31
Starts
22
Goals
15
Big chances missed
4
Big chances created
10
Assists
3
Ground duel success rate
42%
Aerial duel success rate
49%
As you can see in the table above, Turgeman produced an eye-catching haul of 15 goals and ten ‘big chances’ created in just 22 starts in the top-flight in Israel last season, which shows that he is a prolific forward who rarely wastes a ‘big chance’.
Danilo, meanwhile, has scored nine goals and created nine ‘big chances’ in 36 appearances in the Premiership for Rangers to date, including the clash with Motherwell last weekend.
These statistics suggest that Turgeman also has the potential to deliver more quality in front of goal as both a scorer and a creator, given that he scored six more league goals last season than the Brazilian flop managed in the last two years combined.
This is why Rangers should be looking to move on from Danilo this summer in order to facilitate a swoop for the Maccabi Tel Aviv centre-forward, who could be an excellent addition to the squad if he is able to adapt to Scottish football.
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