Rangers favourite has ‘no doubt’ striker will depart as ex-Hearts coach talks collapsed move for Celtic winger

Andy Halliday, a former Rangers defender, believes Cyriel Dessers should be the club’s first-choice forward until the conclusion of the season.

He disagrees with supporters’ calls to bring back striker Kemar Roofe.

Dessers is the team’s second highest scorer this season, with 17 goals in 44 appearances across all competitions. In recent weeks,

he has faced criticism for his performances and poise in front of goal, especially against Ross County in a 3-2 setback.

Halliday went on to say that the squad was critically short of a striker during the January transfer window,

and that the forward they did sign, Fabio Silva, is not an out-and-out striker and would be better suited as an advanced midfielder.

On Clyde Superscoreboard, Andy Halliday began by highlighting Rangers’ failings in January.

“Any Rangers fan will agree (the club had to sign a striker in January),” Halliday stated.

“Going into the January window, you knew Philippe Clement would probably bring in two or three players.

“You sensed that the true priority position was that out-and-out striker, which they believe they brought in with Fabio Silva.

“But, to anyone who has watched him, he has never appeared to be an out-and-out striker;

he is always someone who wants to arrive in the box or drive at a back four rather than play with his back to goal.

“Dessers is going to play at the weekend and then he’ll play the next week and the week after that because,

to be honest, he’s the best striker Rangers have got just now for me.”

This prompted a conversation regarding Jamaican international Kemar Roofe,

who was recruited just months after Halliday’s departure from Ibrox.

The 31-year-old was recruited from Anderlecht in 2020 for a fee of around £4.5 million,

identical to Dessers, although his time at Ibrox has been blighted by injuries and he has thus far registered 26 goals in 59 league appearances,

with just two of those coming in the last two seasons.

Roofe’s current deal with Rangers is set to expire at the end of the season, and Halliday believes his days are limited.

He explained, “Where is the evidence that Kemar Roofe is as good as people claim when he is injured?

“Listen, he’s done OK for the Rangers, and he’s done great at times,

but what is the most consecutive games Kemar Roofe has played? I doubt it’s that many.

When asked if Kemar Roofe is likely to leave this summer, Halliday responded,

“Aw absolutely, I don’t believe there’s any doubt about it.

“Listen, we know there’s skill there, but he hasn’t been very fit, and – I’m guessing – he’s earning a lot of money.

Former Hearts coach outlines why Mikey Johnston’s trade fell through.

Former Hearts assistant manager Lee McCulloch has revealed how a transfer to Tynecastle for Celtic winger Mikey Johnston fell through.

Johnston battled for first-team minutes in the early half of the season,

but he is now in some of his finest form of his career while on loan at West Brom.

Since joining the Hawthorns in January, he has scored seven goals in 15 Championship games and was named the league’s Player of the Month for March.

However, if the Republic of Ireland international had decided to go to Gorgie,

things could have turned out quite differently. McCulloch, a former Jambos assistant,

has told the Daily Record that Robbie Neilson was keen to make a move for Johnston before the end of the summer window in 2022 –

with the forward eventually opting to gamble and sign with Portuguese top flight side Vitoria Guimaraes on loan.

He only scored once and assisted four times in 25 appearances in Portugal,

but he could have been a valuable addition in the city.

McCulloch conveyed to PLZ the reasons for the rejection. He explained, “We attempted to recruit Mikey Johnston at Hearts,

but he didn’t want to leave Celtic. And if he did quit Celtic, he did not want to join another Scottish team.

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