Glasgow Rangers finished eight points adrift of first place in the Scottish Premiership table after their 3-3 draw with Hearts away from Ibrox on Saturday.
The Light Blues failed to end their rivals' dominance of the division and they will now be aiming to avoid four years without a title when they return to league action next season.
Philippe Clement's side do still have the chance to enjoy a successful end to the current campaign when they take to the field at Hampden Park on Saturday, however, as they could win their second trophy under the Belgian boss by beating Celtic in the SFA Cup final.
They won the League Cup trophy earlier this term and are now set to compete to land a domestic double, which could help them to deal with the pain of missing out on the Premiership crown.
After the SFA Cup showpiece this weekend, the attention will then fully turn to the upcoming summer transfer window and how head of recruitment Nils Koppen can freshen up their side in order to win the division in the 2024/25 campaign.
Rangers urged to sign SPFL star
Former Scotland international and Rangers youth prospect Michael Stewart has urged the club to swoop for Hearts star Lawrence Shankland this summer.
Speaking on BBC Sportsound on Saturday (18/05/2024), the Scottish pundit claimed that it would be a "no-brainer" deal for the Gers to complete, as he is "far better" than current number nine Cyriel Dessers.
Back in February, Football Insider reported that the Light Blues are eyeing up a double swoop to sign Shankland and current loanee Abdallah Sima on permanent moves ahead of next season.
However, the outlet did not reveal, at the time, how much Hearts would want for their impressive centre-forward, or how much the Gers are prepared to pay for him.
It was claimed, by Football Insider, that the SPFL side wanted a fee in the region of £3m for him in the January transfer window, though, and that priced Rangers out of a deal at the time.
After the 3-3 draw with Hearts, Clement lamented his team's lack of efficiency in front of goal as he cited three goals from ten shots on target for his men and three goals from four shots on target for the Jam Tarts.
This suggests that the Belgian head coach would be open to adding a new striker to his squad in the summer in order to improve the efficiency of his forward line.
Koppen must now do what it takes, if it falls within the playing budget, to bring Shankland to Ibrox ahead of the 2024/25 campaign, due to his fantastic goalscoring pedigree.
Why Rangers should sign Lawrence Shankland
The Scotland international is a proven Premiership goalscorer who has the experience and quality to hit the ground running in Glasgow under Clement next season.
Instead of taking a gamble on a player from a foreign league who does not have any prior experience in Scotland, or a young player with little experience in first-team football in any division, Rangers could go out and get a striker who knows exactly what it takes to perform in the Scottish top-flight.
The 28-year-old star, who still has plenty of years left ahead of him in his prime years, has made over 100 appearances in the Premiership, over 100 appearances in the Championship, and played 12 European games in his career to date.
Alongside his vast experience in Scotland, Shankland has also proven his quality in the league this season with a fantastic return in front of goal.
The Hearts star, who plundered a whopping 31 goals and eight assists in 47 matches in all competitions, ended the 2023/24 Premiership season with 24 goals in 36 league starts for the club.
Sofascore rating
7.5
Touches
45
Shots
3
Goals
1
Key passes
3
Aerial duels won
6/8
As you can see in the table above, Shankland enjoyed a successful afternoon against Rangers on Saturday as he created three chances and scored one goal from just 45 touches of the ball.
His goal was a delightful dinked finish over Jack Butland after a superb run in behind the Gers defence was picked out with a perfect through ball, which gave Clement a first-hand experience of what he could bring to his team next season.
The Jam Tarts captain, whose campaign was lauded as "remarkable" by journalist Josh Bunting, was crowned PFA Scotland Player of the Year for his efforts on the pitch, which speaks to his outstanding quality in the final third.
Why Lawrence Shankland could win Rangers the title
Shankland could help to win Rangers the title, should Koppen seal a deal for his services, as he could add the firepower in front of goal that they lacked this season.
The Gers ended the 2023/24 campaign having scored 87 goals, eight fewer than Celtic's 95, and their strikers left a lot to be desired with their finishing.
Staggeringly, every Rangers centre-forward finished with a tally that was lower than their xG (Expected Goals) as they all let themselves down in the final third.
Lawrence Shankland
18.36
24
+5.64
Kemar Roofe
1.48
1
-0.48
Danilo
6.68
4
-2.68
Sam Lammers
4.71
2
-2.71
Cyriel Dessers
21.72
16
-5.72
As you can see in the table above, Clement had an array of wasteful finishers at his disposal in the Premiership this season, particularly his first-choice number nine Dessers – who underperformed by almost six goals.
Whereas, Shankland overperformed his xG by almost six goals, which means that, in theory, the Hearts striker could score between ten and 12 more goals than Dessers did if provided with the quality of chances that the Rangers man had.
Now, imagine the 31-goal marksman lining up for Clement's team next season and having the high-quality opportunities that Dessers has had.
Given the evidence above, Shankland could thrive at Ibrox as he is a top-quality finisher and that could, therefore, significantly increase the team's goal output and efficiency in the final third.
This could then give them the boost they need to go on and win the title ahead of Celtic next term, which is why Koppen could secure the Premiership title by sealing a deal for him.