Pedro Caixinha’s transfer market approach during his short time as Rangers manager was, it’s fair to say, scattergun. Close to £10 million was spent on an entirely new team, with 11 players arriving at Ibrox over the summer. Most of those signings have turned out to be duds, with some having left the club already, but one has vindicated Caixinha’s efforts.
With 24 goals for the season already, Alfredo Morelos is currently Scottish football’s top scorer. The Colombian, signed from HJK Helsinki in the summer, has thrived in Glasgow, justifying the near £1 million fee paid for him. Morelos has impressed to such an extent that the 21-year-old is now reportedly attracting interest from other clubs.
Indeed, the future of Morelos could provide the most compelling transfer deadline day storyline north of the border, with Graeme Murty confirming that a bid (reported to be worth £7 million) made by a Chinese club for the Colombian striker had been rejected. It has also been speculated that a number of English clubs are monitoring Morelos.
“I won't comment on the figure but it's a football decision,” Murty explained on Tuesday, revealing more about the reported offer made for the striker. “I have not been told there's any economic necessity to move him away. It's a football decision about closing the gap. If we make a football decision that we can actually push on by keeping him then that's what we do.
“Talks are ongoing. They haven't met our valuation, they haven't met our requirement for what we want in terms of our squad and as it goes on we will still look at Alfredo as our number one centre forward. I'm not going to allow a player to leave just because there are lots of zeros involved. We have to make sure that we make football decisions.”
Should a bidding war ensue, though, the decision might be taken out of Murty’s hands. Rangers are still a club that operates on a modest budget in the grand scheme of things and should any offer reach the £10 million Rangers would surely at least consider allow Morelos to leave. Every player has a price, particularly in Scotland.
But while a fee of around £10 million would represent a remarkable fee for Rangers to receive having signed Morelos just seven months ago, it would be spare change for the majority of English clubs. This is the transfer market dynamic that exists between England and Scotland. Clubs north of the border operate at a completely different level.
And so Premier League clubs, and Championship clubs below them, are realising the value that the Scottish game might hold for them. Look at Virgil Van Dijk, for instance, who joined Southampton for just £13.5 million before becoming the most expensive defender in history two-and-a-half years later. Andy Robertson is another who provides an example of the value for money that can be found in Scotland, with Hull City signing the left back for just £2.85 million in 2014.
Relatively speaking, Morelos could be a bargain for any potential suitors. At 21, he is far from the finished product, spurning as many chances in front of goal as he converts, but the Colombian’s potential is vast. Morelos hasn’t even reached the potential of what he can achieve at Rangers, only playing half a season at Rangers so far, but it’s possible his development could be fast-tracked by a move.
The player himself has spoken of his desire to one day play in the Premier League, and it’s not so outlandish to suggest he will, sooner or later, make good on his ambition. It might well be best for Morelos’ development that he stays put where he is for a little longer, but from a buyer’s perspective, he could be a shrewd signing.
