When Rangers started contingency planning in the event Youssef Chermiti left the club this summer, Portland Timbers striker Kevin Kelsy was a name that featured high on their list of options.
The plan this summer was always for Chermiti to remain at Ibrox unless an exceptional bid, in the region of £30million, arrived. Indeed, in an interview conducted from the club's pre-season base earlier this summer, Chermiti outlined that he was settled in Glasgow and in no rush to move, saying: "I'm very happy here. I like Glasgow, I like the club and everyone likes me as well."
But an ACL injury against Hibs, on the same weekend Rangers knocked back a club-record bid for the 22-year-old forward from Galatasaray, changed everything. Rangers did not believe they could go through the season without a direct replacement for Chermiti and transfer plans were forced to pivot.
Alongside missing out on European football, a £9million transfer fee that could have been used to strengthen the right wing was instead committed to signing the Venezuelan 22-year-old, who already has Champions League experience with Shakhtar Donetsk, has played in Uruguay and has scored 19 goals for Portland Timbers since joining the MLS club last year.
In the end on deadline day an opportune move for Algerian winger Badredine Bouanani has ticked that box too.
One well-placed source explained to Rangers Review that Kelsy is a player with a similarly outstanding physical profile to Chermiti, although he is a different type of striker in terms of how he uses those attributes.
While the former Everton forward creates separation and chances through a high-level running capacity, Kelsy is a striker who operates more effectively with his back to goal, bringing his team up the pitch and linking play with those around him. They are both physical players but in a different way.
Internal analysis also views Kelsy as having better natural movement in and around the penalty box, particularly when attacking crosses, than Chermiti. There was Premier League interest in the forward, but Rangers moved quickly and aggressively to convince the player that Ibrox represented the best next step.
For an individual who has been strategic and consistent with his career choices, the challenge was persuading Kelsy that a move to Rangers was the optimal move.
With Rangers having committed one of the highest transfer fees in the club's history, following the £8.5million arrival of Minsu Kim, there is also a belief internally that Kelsy is an extremely rounded striker.
Indeed, Kelsy's StatsBomb radar, compared to the MLS striker average, is genuinely impressive.
What does this radar tell us?
- Kelsy's shooting data, particularly his xG per 90 and shot OBV, rank extremely highly. The closer to the outer boundary, the stronger the performance.
- The quality of his shots, measured through OBV (On-Ball Value), matches the consistency of his penalty-box involvement and volume of attempts.
- His average xG of 0.62 per game is well above Chermiti's 0.48 from last season.
- His xG per shot, which measures the quality of each attempt, stands at 0.22 compared to Chermiti's 0.15 last season.
- He is not just an excellent finisher. The volume of his pressing actions also stands out.
When links emerged to South Korean attacker Minsu Kim, it was initially expected that the former Girona winger would operate primarily from a wide area. Instead, Derek McInnes has utilised him in the No.10 position.
Indeed, alongside the arrival of Badredine Bouanani to strengthen the wide options further, Minsu is likely to continue operating centrally. The 4-4-2 template witnessed against Aberdeen and Falkirk is understood to be closer to McInnes' ideal template.
Minsu came into focus for the recruitment department after Chermiti's injury because, in signing a striker like Kelsy who will not stretch the game in quite the same way, the South Korean is viewed as a player who helps knit together McInnes' system. Providing dynamic running around a striker that Chermiti's capacity to stretch games oherwise offers.
To use the Rangers manager's language, Minsu "changes the dynamic" and there is similar hope Kelsy and Bouanani can have a similar effect.
With both Lawrence Shankland and Kelsy providing focal points for the attack and helping Rangers progress up the pitch, having two wingers and Minsu operating around that central reference point should add a different dimension to the side's attacking play.
Some clubs have historically been wary of recruiting from MLS due to the pace of play, but the work done to bring Olwethu Makhanya to the club earlier this month will not have hurt confidence that the league has evolved into a physically demanding environment that can translate to Scottish football.
Rangers have previously been stung when recruiting from certain markets, with the Dutch league often cited as one example where players have struggled to make the physical leap. That is not expected to be an issue here.
A visa delay ended hopes that Kelsy would be available in time for the trip to Falkirk, although the forward had arrived in Scotland by Wednesday evening.
Read more:
- What changed to allow Derek McInnes to finally set up Rangers side in his image
- Inside Kim Min-su's Rangers deal and unique contract situation that sealed transfer
In another world, had Rangers sold Chermiti this summer or next, Kelsy may still have arrived at Ibrox as his replacement. Instead, with Chermiti facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines, that succession plan has simply been accelerated.
Like Chermiti, Kelsy should provide a focal point at the top end of the pitch, but in a different style. It is an unfortunate circumstance that has left Chermiti in need of being replaced for the season, but Rangers will hope their reaction in the market can soften the blow.
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