'Long time coming' as Shankland joins Rangers from Hearts

Lawrence Shankland celebrates with Hearts — Image caption,
Lawrence Shankland has been Hearts' captain and leading scorer

ByClive Lindsay and Colin MoffatBBC Sport Scotland

Published2 hours ago

Scotland striker Lawrence Shankland says he is fulfilling his "dream" of joining "boyhood club" Rangers after completing his transfer from Scottish Premiership rivals Heart of Midlothian for what both clubs say are "undisclosed terms".

The 30-year-old, who has agreed a two-year deal with the option of a further 12 months at the club from which he was released aged 12, scored 88 goals in 171 appearances across four campaigns at Tynecastle.

And he captained the Edinburgh side to second place this season, missing out on the title to Celtic on the final day, with Rangers in third, eight points behind Hearts.

Shankland will miss out on Champions League qualifiers with Hearts but told Rangers TV: "Rangers is my boyhood club and it has always been a dream to play here, so I was really keen to get it done.

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"The club are in a position where they want to get back to winning silverware more regularly and I want to be a big part of that, so that's what I have come here to do."

Shankland was linked with Rangers when out of contract at Hearts last summer before signing a three-year deal in late June and says it "feels like a long time coming to be honest, the amount of times I've been rumoured with it".

The former Queen's Park, Aberdeen, Ayr United, Dundee United and Beerschot forward went on to hit 20 goals in 34 games in all competitions, including four against Rangers, as Derek McInnes' side chased a first title since 1960.

Shankland said it is "never easy" to leave another "big club", but it "was a bit easier, the fact that it's obviously Rangers".

Rangers head coach Danny Rohl said: "He is a player with proven quality, leadership and work ethic - and his goalscoring record in Scotland speaks for itself.

"He understands the demands and expectations that come with playing for Rangers and we believe his character and experience will be a huge asset for the group."

Immediately after completing his transfer, Shankland, who has scored four times in 18 Scotland outings, will join Steve Clarke's squad for the World Cup.

"I wish him well at the World Cup this summer and look forward to welcoming him back to Glasgow during pre-season," Rohl added.

What are Rangers getting?

Lawrence Shankland celebrates scoring for Hearts against Rangers

On the face of it, Rangers have acquired the most prolific scorer in recent Premiership history.

Since the beginning of the 2022-23 season, Shankland has scored 72 times - 21 more than former Celtic forward Kyogo Furuhashi and 27 more than outgoing Rangers captain James Tavernier.

Given he has been an ever-present during that time compared to some of his rivals, that is perhaps to be expected.

This season, though, Shankland has been the Premiership's second top scorer with 16 goals, one behind Tawande Maswanhise and level with Benjamin Nygren but having played nine fewer games than the Celtic midfielder and six less than the Motherwell striker.

However, it is only one more than Rangers' Youssef Chermiti, who played just one extra game and contributed five assists to Shankland's three in his first season at Ibrox.

Excluding penalties, Shankland's 13 goals are two fewer than Chermiti's and he is fourth behind Nygren, Celtic's Daizen Maeda and the young Rangers striker for goals and assists combined.

Meanwhile, he was sixth for expected goals, with Chermiti in fourth - and, when penalties are excluded, Shankland falls to seventh, with Chermiti up to third behind Maeda and Hearts' Claudio Braga.

However, the Scot's expertise from the penalty spot should be a bonus given the exiting Tavernier has been prolific in that respect, as well as being a candidate to replace the Englishman as captain.

Analysis: Sour taste and big hole to fill for Hearts

ByBrian McLauchlinBBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

To say it's been a tough few weeks for Hearts fans is a little bit of an understatement.

Losing out on the final day at Celtic Park certainly took its toll, but the news that captain and top goalscorer Shankland is leaving for Rangers is a hammer blow after what - by and large - was a season to remember.

Four years ago, Shankland was part of the Beerschot team that had just been relegated to the second tier of Belgian football. He scored five goals in 26 appearances there before Hearts gave him a lifeline back into Scottish football.

Since arriving in Gorgie, the 30-year-old has scored more than 90 goals and has found his way into the Scotland squad for the World Cup, scoring in the decisive win over Denmark.

So there is no doubt Hearts have been good for Shankland and, similarly, he has been excellent for the club.

The manner of his departure will leave a sour taste, however. When he signed a three-year deal last summer, there was no indication of a clause that allowed him to join one of Hearts' biggest rivals for free.

Questions will be asked - and rightly so - about how and why that was agreed.

Players come and players go and, when Shankland returns to Tynecastle, it will be interesting to both see and hear the reaction from the same support who sang his name so loudly and proudly week after week.

The hole he leaves in the Tynecastle dressing room is huge. Indeed, when you add the potential departures of Cammy Devlin, Frankie Kent and Craig Gordon - alongside the loss of Craig Halkett in a playing capacity through injury for much of this year - a lot of stature and leadership will be absent.

It's now up to everyone involved in recruitment at Hearts to ensure there are replacements ready.

Champions League qualifiers will come quickly in July. It may be a time for rest, but for those behind the scenes at Hearts, it's likely to be a very busy summer.