“We need this signing”. Those were the words of former Glasgow Rangers manager Steven Gerrard, recalling his demands on the Ibrox board over a deal for cash-strapped Kemar Roofe.
Speaking late last year, Gerrard suggested that the striker’s departure was one of the times he almost “spitted”. [his] dummy out”, having put his foot down that Rofe is the one he wants.
The England international, to his credit, proved to be very serious about that deal, as the 2020 signing played a key role in the Gers’ title success in his first season, scoring 18 times in all competitions, 14 of them in the Premiership.
|
Top goals for Rangers – 20/21* |
|
|---|---|
|
The player |
Goals |
|
Thaveni Restaurant |
19 |
|
The roof |
18 |
|
Morelos |
17 |
|
Kent |
13 |
|
Goldson |
8 |
|
Hagi |
8 |
|
They are |
8 |
|
Arfield |
7 |
|
Defoe |
7 |
|
Itten |
6 |
|
*all competitions |
|
Roofe, now 33 and without a club, has set the benchmark when it comes to quick signings at Ibrox, with new boss Danny Rohl likely to want a repeat this summer.
Rangers could be involved in the race for a Premier League striker
Looking back at 2020/21, Gerrard was blessed with a number of good options, bringing in both Roofe and Jermain Defoe to rival the best nine, Alfredo Morelos, the forgotten man, Cedric Itten, who was locked up.
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That kind of depth is beginning to emerge under Rohl’s regime, with the German overseeing the deadline-day signing of teammate Ryan Naderi, after the club had already invested in Youssef Chermiti and Bojan Miovski in the summer.
The pair scored a solitary goal in Sunday’s 6-3 win over Falkirk, yet with both men still in the mix, strengthening the attack could be on the agenda for the end of the season.
As it has been reported recently, there have been suspicions that the Gers may want to strike a deal for Joe Gelhardt from Leeds United, and the Englishman has been featured on loan from Hull City.
The 23-year-old has scored 13 goals this season for the Tigers, and with a year remaining on his contract at Elland Road, the deal looks to be worth it.
Equally, Ibrox could be involved in the race for another Leeds man, Joel Piroe, with the Suriname international who was a target for both Glasgow clubs back in January.
According to Football Insider’s Keith Wyness, there is a feeling that with Leeds and Rangers both owning 49ers Enterprises, this could be an opportunity to use that connection, with Piroe’s deal likely to be completed “easily”.
The 49ers were already in charge when Leeds signed the striker from Swansea City in 2023, ensuring they could sign him for a second time, this time at Ibrox.
According to Wyness, there is “huge potential” for him to move on, and the 26-year-old may need a fresh start having not started a single Premier League game since August.
Why Piroe could be the new Rofe at Rangers
While Gerrard brought Roofe out of Anderlecht in 2020, it was in English football that the Jamaican made his name before that, including with Gelhardt and Piroe’s current side, Leeds.
After signing from Oxford United in 2016, the English-born striker went on to score 33 goals in 123 appearances for the Yorkshire outfit, 29 of which came in the Championship over those three seasons.
Injuries may have hampered his impact during his move to Glasgow, although 38 goals in 102 appearances for the Gers is no mean feat, as he netted against Braga in the quarter-finals of the Europa League in 2022.
Like Roofe, Piroe has also excelled in England’s second tier in recent years, finishing last season as the Championship’s top scorer as Leeds secured promotion to the top flight.
That 19-goal tally came after the former PSV Eindhoven man reached double figures in his last three seasons in the Championship, two of them at Swansea.
In 179 games at that level, the left-footed striker has scored 73 goals, proving to be lethal when given consistent game time. By comparison, Roofe’s record in that category stands at 29 in 113 games.
It hasn’t happened so far since Daniel Farke’s men secured promotion, with Piroe lagging behind the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha in the top-scoring charts, despite scoring once in four FA Cup games in 2025/26.
Equally, even in the middle of his role as a substitute, he is still hailed by Farke as arguably the “best finisher” at the club and the best the German has worked with in his career, an indication of the type of player he is likely to be heading to Ibrox.
Of course, newcomers from south of the border haven’t always paid off, like Joe Rothwell or Tom Lawrence, although Piroe seems a class above, if his previous Championship form is anything to go by.
If a deal can be done, it’s possible the Rangers will get the next version of Roofe next season. Throw Gelhardt into the mix as well, and that 49ers connection could really pay off.
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