The suspension of Scottish football is a big blow for fans of the Scottish game. However, Rangers fans will feel especially aggrieved by the fact that this shutdown could mean that they have already seen a handful of players play their last games for the club.
Eight players have contracts that are set to expire in the summer, including Florian Kamberi who just joined the Gers on loan from Hibernian in January. But, it appears as if the Gers have already made steps to potentially bring him to Ibrox permanently.
The player has played in eight games for the side since joining, scoring one goal and registering one assist. And while his deal runs out in the summer, Alan Hutton believes that the Gers need to bring the player in permanently.
Will the Gers sign Florian Kamberi permanently?
Yes
No
“I think he’s really come with that willingness to work hard, he’s shown everybody how good he can actually be. He seems to have that fire in his belly, that: ‘I’m going to prove everybody I belong here,” said Alan Hutton to Football Insider.
“It does not surprise me one bit that Rangers are looking to bring him in full time. You never know what’s going to happen with Morelos. There’s always that hanging above him,” he continued.
But what has Kamberi done to warrant this kind of praise from Hutton?
TIF Tactics – Has Florian Kamberi deserved a permanent contract at Rangers?
If we look at his statistics across the entire season with both Hibernian and Rangers, we can see where Kamberi’s strengths lie.
Kamberi underperforms in his goal scoring statistics. He has an xG (expected goals) of 0.26 per 90 minutes, only scoring an average of 0.23 goals per game. However, statistics suggest he contributes in other ways.
The Swiss striker averages 1.59 progressive runs and 5.8 dribbles per 90 minutes.
Kamberi also averages 27.18 passes per 90 minutes and looks to play forward with his passes an average of 5.33 times per game. In comparison, he only passes negatively 7.58 times per match.
Of these forward passes, on average, 2.01 are into the final third, while another 1.64 find there way into the box.
So, while the 25-year-old is not the most prolific goalscorer, he appears to play an important role for his teams when it comes to ball progression up the field.
Because of this, Rangers would do well to keep hold of this player in the summer, as Hutton stated.
(all data and stats from Wyscout.com, accurate at the time of writing)