A few weeks ago, Hamza Igamane was all the talk at Glasgow Rangers. Not only delivering on the European stage, with four goals across six games, but the youngster began to show his worth domestically.
Between December 4 and January 15, Igamane scored nine goals in the Premiership, including a brace against Motherwell to salvage a draw, before netting a wonderful hat trick against Hibernian, although more points were dropped by the Light Blues.
Since then, however, he has looked poor. Philippe Clement will be hoping the Moroccan striker can return to his best over the next couple of weeks.
Hamza Igamane's stunning debut season
As mentioned, Igamane has saved his best displays for the European stage. A double against Nice was impressive, but the way he took his goal against Tottenham Hotspur in December was perhaps even more so.
Reportedly, Everton sent scouts to watch the 22-year-old in action against the Premier League side, and it looked as though they might be weighing up a January bid for the striker.
Nothing came of it, but over the previous few weeks, his performances have been rather muted. Could he be affected by the recent interest shown in him from down south?
In the Europa League, Igamane scores once every 91 minutes, while he also has a goal conversion rate of 36%. It is no wonder clubs are showing plenty of interest in the player.
Domestically, Igamane averages three shots per game, while creating five big chances, averaging one key pass and succeeding with 1.3 dribbles per match in the Premiership.
These statistics are excellent, especially considering plenty of eyebrows were raised following his signing from AS FAR last summer, costing the Gers around £1.7m.
Eight months later, he could turn out to be one of the best pieces of transfer business the club has conducted in the previous few years.
One that got away
There is no doubt the Light Blues will make a stunning profit on the centre-forward. The question is, when is the right time to sell him?
Depending on his performances over the next few months, this summer could see a flood of bids arrive for the African sensation, especially with a few more goals under his belt.
Over the years, the Gers have been forced to sell some of their finest players in order to remain financially stable.
However, they have also missed out on a fair few players who have since gone on to bigger and better things. Joey Veerman was wanted by Steven Gerrard during his spell as manager, and now he is shining for PSV Eindhoven.
Another player who the Gers were reportedly keen on a couple of years ago is now attracting interest from some of the biggest clubs in the world after an incredible couple of seasons.
Viktor Gyokeres has been wonderful during his time at Sporting CP. Might the Ibrox side have secured his signature at one time, however?
Rangers's pursuit of Viktor Gyokeres
Towards the end of the 2022/23 season, it was clear Michael Beale required some added quality in his attacking department, especially if he wanted to end Celtic’s domestic dominance.
According to Football Insider, the club were reportedly interested in Coventry City hitman Gyokeres and even made a move to land his signature after lodging an enquiry. The Swedish sensation had scored 21 goals in the second tier and they would go on to lose the playoff final to Luton Town.
This form didn’t go unnoticed as many clubs chased his signature, especially as the Sky Blues failed to secure promotion, it was evident that the striker would be on the move.
Dubbed as “unplayable” by his teammate at Coventry, Maxime Biamou, Gyokeres made the move to Portugal, joining Sporting.
Whether or not Rangers had a chance of luring him to Ibrox back in May 2023, there is absolutely no chance they will be able to sign him now.
The striker is arguably one of the best in Europe.
Viktor Gyokeres’ stats in Portugal
One thing is certain, the club will make a significant profit on the former Coventry hitman when they do decide to cash in. Sporting paid €24m (£20m) which would have been way out of the Light Blues’ price range anyway.
Since then, he has scored an incredible tally of 77 goals across just 85 games for the Liga Portugal side, spearheading them to the league title during his maiden campaign at the club.
Metric
Igamane
Gyokeres
Goals
9
22
Assists
1
3
Big chances created
5
7
Shots per game
3
4.2
Goal conversion percentage
15%
27%
With three months left of the 2024/25 campaign, Gyokeres has already notched 34 goals in 35 matches, a truly astounding strike rate that puts a lot of strikers to shame.
Compare this to Igamane, who has netted 13 goals in 30 matches, and it proves just how big a gulf there is between the two forwards.
While it was always unlikely he would move to Glasgow, Rangers’ recent woes would surely have subsided had they been able to call upon the talents of Gyokeres, no doubt about that.
Viktor Gyokeres’ current market value
It comes as no surprise to hear that Gyokeres is attracting plenty of interest from the biggest clubs in Europe.
The likes of Liverpool, Manchester United, Barcelona and Arsenal have all been linked with a move for the Swedish star over the previous few months.
This summer could be the chance to finally lure him away from Portugal, although it might take a massive fee to do so.
Indeed, according to journalist Ben Jacobs, Gyokeres’ price tag has dropped from €100m (£83m) to €70m (£60m), which could please certain clubs, that’s for sure.
It is clear that Rangers made a huge blunder in not trying to work out a deal to bring the “powerhouse” striker – as hailed by analyst Ben Mattinson – to Ibrox back in 2023, especially considering how wonderful he has been since.
It might have cost a club-record fee, but considering the form he has shown over the previous 18 months, Gyokeres would have raked in a gigantic profit for the Gers.
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