Forget It Caixinha – Why Rangers Should Avoid Selling This Colombian Attacker To Aston Villa In January

Why Rangers Should Avoid Selling Alfredo Morelos To Aston Villa In January

Aston Villa look keen on signing Rangers’ striker Alfredo Morelos in the January transfer window, as the club’s chief scout was spotted in attendance, watching the Colombian in action against St. Johnstone on Friday night, according to reports from the Football Insider. 

Villa top scout Tony Coton was in attendance as the Gers romped home to a 3-0 win over the Saints, although Morelos could not find the net on the night, with Carlos Pena and Graham Dorrans scoring for Pedro Caixinha’s side. 

Morelos has been in excellent form for the Glasgow-based club since his summer move from HJK Helsinki. The 21-year old has already netted 8 times for the Gers in 13 outings already in all competitions, continuing his excellent form from last season for Helsinki, where he scored 20 goals in 25 games. 

While Rangers might have crashed out of the European competitions in the qualifying stages, their domestic campaign hasn’t been all that bad. Rangers currently sit 3rd in the Scottish Premiership table after 9 games in the season, 6 points behind league leaders and bitter rivals Celtic.  

Sure, there is plenty of room for improvement, but it must also be taken into consideration that they are a completely new unit, going through a rebuilding phase. While there have been some concerns as to whether Caixinha is the right man to bring the team back to equal footing against the likes of Celtic, there are no doubts about the fact that Morelos is extremely critical to their cause.  

The 21-year old is currently the club’s leading goal-scorer for the season with 8 strikes in all competitions, 6 of which have come in the Premiership, meaning the Colombian has scored 30% of Rangers’ goals in the league by himself. A goal every 112.83 minutes in the Scottish first division isn’t a bad reading at all, especially when one takes into consideration that he turned 21 only a few months ago and is playing his first season in the country. 

There are a lot of likeable aspects about the Colombian youth international – technically strong, physical, and a brilliant finisher who doesn’t miss out on opportunities. Morelos is also an extremely hard worker off the ball and most importantly, shows the right attitude and wants to keep learning and improving with each passing game. 

The Colombia U-20 international has demonstrated great pace and power in his game and combining those with the technical quality, the composure and finishing in front of goal means he has all the right ingredients to grow into a top marksman. And if his goal-scoring rates previously at Helsinki and now with the Gers or even with the Colombian U-20 side, for whom he has scored 7 in 6 games, are anything to go by, Rangers would be foolish to let him go in January, if Villa come up with a bid.