HE is the man that Mark Warburton is set to put his faith in yet the striker that few Rangers fans know much about. He is no average Joe, though.
Nine players have made their way through the blue crested gates of Murray Park this summer but it is the next two that title hopes could be hinged on. The search for a defender and a striker has been ongoing for several weeks and now Warburton is on the verge of his tenth deal as Joe Garner gets set to sign on the dotted line in Glasgow.
Rangers will stump up £1.5million to bring Garner north of the border from Preston to become the final piece of the attacking jigsaw this term.
Read more: Rangers boss Mark Warburton eyes a move for former Premier League star Joleon Lescott
Garner could make his debut against Motherwell this weekend and within weeks he will have a chance to become an Old Firm hero as the countdown continues to the first derby duel of the season at Parkhead. It is a stage he is capable of performing on, according to former Deepdale strike partner Kevin Davies.
“I think he will relish that game and he has certainly got a feistiness about him and the character to go into that game,” he told Herald Sport. “They will probably need to calm him down at some point! He is a Preston boy and he loved playing for the club. When the crowd got behind him, that pushed him on even more so playing in that kind of atmosphere will really drive him on. He will put himself about with tackles, leave bits on defenders here and there. He has got everything in his locker.
“Had Rangers not been back in the top flight then I think it would have been a different story depending on the finances and that kind of thing. Often with players it is about the financial package and what goes with that but you also look at the level of football and the games you will be playing in.
“He has got those games to look forward to and I am sure he will have one eye on Rangers doing well this season and pushing for that Champions League spot. That would be a pull for him but everyone knows the size of the club and they are back in the top flight. The big derby games would be an attraction for Joe.”
Goals didn’t exactly prove hard to come by for Rangers as they clinched the Championship title and Petrofac Training Cup last season but fans were often left frustrated by Warburton’s side.
Chances were created and spurned on a regular basis and the fear this term is that any profligacy in the final third will cost the Gers dear during their top flight title bid.
Garner netted just six times in 44 appearances for North End last term but former Lillywhites striker Davies knows the 28-year-old has goals in him.
“He scored nearly 50 goals in two seasons in League One,” he said. “He can score any type of goal, he is good in the air, left foot, right foot, spectacular goals, tap-ins. When he is full of confidence, that is a key thing, then he is hard to stop. He is a good all round striker, he works hard and he is a nightmare to play against.
“He is a good professional, he is at a good age and he probably hasn’t hit his prime yet. If you asked any defenders, he is horrible to play against.
“He has got a bit of ruthlessness, a bit of naughtiness and endeavour in him, which is what you need. But most importantly he has got the quality to go with the work rate. It will be a good signing.”
The deal to bring Garner north of the border will represent the biggest outlay of Warburton’s time at Ibrox after he sanctioned a seven-figure swoop for the striker. It will also be a step into the unknown for the forward after a career spent on the books of seven clubs south of the border.
He is now set to leave his boyhood heroes to embark on another challenge at Ibrox and will look to become a firm favourite with the Ibrox crowd.
“For his age, he has had a lot of clubs and a few big moves to Watford and Forest for transfers,” Davies said. “When I first went there, he had been up to Carlisle and around the lower leagues. There was probably a question mark what standard he could play at and I know he didn’t score many goals in the Championship last season, for whatever reason.
“That could be the style of play, Preston play a 3-5-2 and are hard to beat so they don’t create many chances. If he plays in a team where he gets more chances then he will stick them in the back of the net.”
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