Rangers transfers and the star of Premiership rivals who would 'quite confidently' score 20 goals

Ex-Rangers star Kenny Miller has revealed his intrigue at his former club’s recruitment so far but believes they could be better signing the star man from a Premiership rival.

The addition of forward Abdallah Sima from Brighton & Hove Albion has taken Michal Beale’s summer signings to five with three more to follow. The Ibrox boss has been keen to reinforce his attacking options following Alfredo Morelos’ departure. Striker Sam Lammers had already been recruited from Atalanta and more are likely to follow with strong links to Danilo and Cyriel Dessers.

None of the signings so far have Scottish football experience and Miller reckons the first four league games will be “sink or swim time” and “probably tell us everything we need to know”. Regarding Sima and Lammers, the man who had two spells at Ibrox feels there is a lot of unknown. Looking closer to home he has tipped Lawrence Shankland to be able to handle the pressure and score right from the off, making a comparison to Kris Boyd.

“Even now, if you were bringing in Lawrence Shankland from Hearts, you could say quite confidently that he’d score 20 goals," he wrote in his Sunday Mail column. “But with guys coming from different leagues, at different stages of their careers, there is more risk. Sima and Lammers have come off the back of poor seasons at relegated clubs. So you can’t say with any great belief that they’ll hit it off. There are question marks. And only the players themselves can answer them. Scottish boys, like Boyd or Shankland, would also know all about going to Kilmarnock on the opening day. The pressure involved, the necessity to win, how you can’t slip up.

“It’s harder to explain that to a 22-year-old from Senegal who was in the French league last season. You can tell him and give him all the information. But until you live it, and you’re standing there before kick-off – or coming off the bench when the score is 1-1 – that’s when it hits you. You’ll only find out about the player’s mindset once he’s actually in the thick of it.”