Lawrence Shankland's move to Rangers is being hailed as the perfect start to building a stronger Scottish identity at Ibrox. The Hearts captain joined on a free transfer after triggering a release clause, stunning Scottish football.
Shankland's Impact on Rangers' Attack
Richard Foster believes Shankland will provide the firepower Rangers lacked last season. He stated: "It'll be interesting to see what they do in terms of who they sign. They've obviously signed Shankland, who's the best goal scorer in the league. He's going to get more chances at Rangers than he did at Hearts, with all respect. If he keeps up the form he's in just now, he's going to score 20-plus goals. I know that's putting huge pressure on him but he is capable, he showed that at Hearts."
Building a Scottish Core
Rangers are now looking to add more Scottish-based talent, with a move for Dundee's Luke Graham being worked on in the background. The club has also been linked with Motherwell's Elliot Watt as they aim to add to existing Scottish players like Connor Barron, John Souttar, Liam Kelly, and Findlay Curtis. This core will allow them to build foreign targets around, such as Westerlo defender Bryan Reynolds.
Foster emphasized the importance of a Scottish spine: "Typically the best Celtic and Rangers teams that I have played against, obviously many moons ago now, always had that core of Scottish players. They understand the demands and they understand that going away from home and drawing a game is not a good result. You have to win every single game, and when you have that core and you then add your other players from different places that bring that extra bit of flair, that extra bit of quality."
Understanding the Glasgow Mindset
Foster highlighted the unique pressure of playing for Rangers: "Rangers didn't have a lot of Scottish players. It was hard for me to see any kind of Scottish mentality. Scottish people are different, it's a different mindset, it's more intense. It is like the fans live for their football. Sometimes players that come into the game from outwith, they don't quite get that, they don't quite understand that. But that core of Scottish players will certainly know what it's all about, and I think that'll be good for them."
He also noted that surviving in Glasgow's goldfish bowl requires a strong character: "It's the biggest city in Scotland but if you're not winning it can be a challenging place to be, if you are winning it's the best place in the world. You take the ups with the downs but it's hard if you come into that and you don't know what to expect."
Shankland as a Leader
Foster believes Shankland's leadership qualities will be vital: "He is a big character and was captain of Hearts. He will also be a contender to be captain at Rangers. If you're thinking about an identity of what you want your team to be, that's it. I think Shankland would be a great option as the captain, because of what he's done, what he's seen, where he's played, how well he's doing. He's obviously a leader, he led that Hearts team all season."
Looking Ahead to Next Season
Rangers finished third last season, but Foster believes it was an opportunity missed. He said: "They should have been in there. I think when you go into the split, they're probably favourites, and then they lost the first three games. They've always had that vulnerability throughout the whole season. That ability to just lose games that they should be winning. When you look at Celtic, they just keep wanting to get over the line. Rangers just didn't have that last season but I think it'll be different next year, because Danny Rohl will have longer with them in pre-season."
Foster also praised manager Danny Rohl for turning things around after a disastrous start under Russell Martin: "He came in at a time when the confidence was low and the players were all over the shop. It's always difficult when you change a man in the mid-season period. The dynamic changes, what's been asked of you slightly changes. Some players who were in favour become out of favour, so the dynamic in the dressing room can be affected, there's no doubt about it. So it's really tough. Giving them the season, and getting a really good go at it, it will be interesting to see what they do."
