Youssef Chermiti has become one of Rangers’ most productive forwards, but the club is still being linked with more attacking reinforcements as it looks ahead to next season. The 21-year-old joined Glasgow Rangers in an £8m deal last summer after failing to score on Merseyside, and he has since answered with 12 Premiership goals for the Ibrox side.
That total is striking for two reasons. Every one of Chermiti’s league goals has come since Danny Rohl arrived at Ibrox, and eight of them have come against Hearts and Celtic alone. He has also scored in seven league games this season, even though he ranked second for big chances missed in the Premiership. For Rangers, it is a reminder that the finishing has improved, but not enough to quiet the wider argument about who should lead the line.
The numbers around Chermiti give a fuller picture of why he has become such a talking point. Bojan Miovski has scored seven league goals all season after returning to Scottish football, while Ryan Naderi has managed one league goal so far at Rangers. Danilo moved on loan to NEC Nijmegen in January on a deal that includes an option to buy. Against that backdrop, Chermiti’s output stands out, even if it has not settled the club’s long-running search for a dependable centre-forward.
That search has not been a short one. Rangers have had repeated turnover at centre-forward in recent years, with Sam Lammers, Antonio Colak and Cyriel Dessers among the names that have not fully solved the problem. The club is trying to strengthen its first-team ranks ahead of a more sustained push next season after four defeats in a row and a post-split finish that fell short of expectations. New owners in 49ers Enterprises have also changed the mood around recruitment, with sharper scrutiny on every decision in the market.
Interest is already building elsewhere. Besiktas had shown interest in Chermiti, while Rangers have also been linked with Plymouth Argyle striker Lorent Tolaj, who has scored 18 goals in England’s third tier this season. In March, sources said Rangers were in the mix for Swansea City striker Zan Vipotnik and were being viewed as the frontrunners because they are likely to enter European competition next season. Vipotnik is reportedly valued at around £15m, which puts a premium on any move.
His output would explain the price. Vipotnik has scored 23 goals this season, plus two in the FA Cup, and has done so at a rate of once every 132 minutes. He has also posted a 20% goal conversion rate while missing 12 big chances. He managed seven Championship goals last season, and his form has added another name to a list Rangers are weighing as they decide whether Chermiti is the answer or simply part of a wider rebuild. As Chermiti said after the Hibs loss in a separate interview, this has been a failure of a season, and the club’s next striker decision will help show how seriously that is being taken.
