Rangers legend Kris Boyd is ‘sure’ manager Mick Beale will be prioritising a new centre-forward in 2023 with another right-winger also required at Ibrox, speaking to the Scottish Sun.
Remember when Pep Guardiola took over at Manchester City and baffled everybody by demanding more from the seemingly-irrepressible Sergio Aguero?
The Argentine might have been one of the most feared marksmen in world football but, as far as Guardiola was concerned, Aguero needed to work on his link play and his effectiveness outside of the penalty area to take his game to an all-new level.
Boyd feels that Beale, the former assistant who returned to Ibrox this week to take Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s place on the Ibrox bench, could take a similar approach with Antonio Colak.
Is Antonio Colak’s place under threat as Rangers hire Mick Beale?
“For me, (Colak) is the best finisher at the club,” says Boyd, the Scottish Premiership’s all-time top scorer. “But I do fear for him going forward under the new manager. Colak could be a victim of the way Michael Beale’s Rangers will play
“It would not surprise me either if he dips into the transfer market in January for a forward.That could see Colak pushed further down the pecking order.
“As the top scorer in Scottish football so far this season that seems harsh, but I have been there before. I actually see similarities between Colak and myself. I took stick for not linking the play enough, and there is no doubt (Kemar) Roofe and (Alfredo) Morelos do that far better than Colak.
“Colak might also find himself on the outside looking in. I’m not convinced he has all the attributes that Beale is looking for.”
Boyd has a point. Colak may have 11 goals in just 14 Premiership matches since arriving from PAOK but his performances against higher-quality opposition, when Rangers have less off the ball and need an outlet to get them up the pitch, have often exposed the weaknesses in his game outside of the six-yard area.
Boyd, meanwhile, expects Beale to target further reinforcements out wide. No one, he argues, has adequately replaced the Portuguese wing wizard Daniel Candeias since his 2019 departure.
“While I’m sure Beale will bring in an additional striker there are other areas he has to strengthen. The right-wing position has been an issue since Daniel Candeias left,” Boyd adds.
“It has been a blind spot for the club, and one that must be urgently sorted out.”
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