Why Rangers must make an attempt to sign Wigan Athletic attacker Jamie Walker
Rangers will get their Scottish Premiership season underway as Steven Gerrard’s charges visit Aberdeen. The Gers have signed centre-forward Umar Sadiq on a season-long loan from AS Roma. However, the Glasgow giants still need reinforcements up front. Hearts have rejected a bid for Kyle Lafferty, who is entering the last year of his contract. Should Rangers turn their attention elsewhere, the Gers could sign Jamie Walker from Wigan Athletic.
Jamie Walker was a Rangers target last summer, according to a report by The Scottish Sun. However, Hearts sold him to Wigan Athletic in the winter window. The move to Wigan is understood to have cost around £300,000.
Walker helped Hearts win the Scottish Championship in 2014/15 and earn a promotion to the Premiership. He featured eight times last season as he helped the Latics win the EFL League and secure a promotion to the Championship. Walker managed just a single start at the DW Stadium. The 25-year-old failed to score for Wigan, having scored just twice for Hearts in 16 appearances before his switch.
Walker, who scored 43 times in over 200 appearances for Hearts and Raith Rovers in the Scottish Premiership and Championship, could add be a welcome addition at the Ibrox. He is a proven performer in the Premiership and if Rangers are to sustain a title chase against Celtic, Gerrard will need all the firepower he can lay his hands on.
Should Walker be willing to switch from the gruelling Championship for the comfort of the Premiership, he could be a good option for Rangers.
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Unlike Wigan, Rangers could offer the former Scotland U21 international a chance to play in Europe. The versatile Walker can play as an attacking midfielder and a wide attacker on either flank.
The forward enjoyed his most productive season in 2016/17 when he netted 15 times, including 12 Premiership goals. Working under Gerrard, Walker can only get better having finished third with Hearts in 2015/16.