RANGERS managing director Stewart Robertson made headlines throughout Scotland on Tuesday after claiming that his club’s star striker Alfredo Morelos will not be sold for anything less than £20 million, arguing that Rangers can expect a similar transfer fee to the one Celtic received from Lyon for Moussa Dembele last summer.

The claim has unsurprisingly divided fans of the Old Firm along the usual lines. Rangers fans agree with Robertson that Morelos’ valuation should match Dembele’s, while Celtic fans insist that their ex-forward is a better player and so should command a higher transfer fee.

We’ve delved into the two strikers’ stats to see if Morelos has indeed matched the impressive numbers posted by Dembele during his two-year stint in Glasgow, in a bid to put the debate to bed.

The graphic above highlights the number of games, goals and assists Morelos and Dembele have racked up at Rangers and Celtic respectively and the first thing that catches the eye is how remarkably similar these figures are. Dembele has five more goals to his name than Rangers’ Colombian forward, but has played an extra nine games. It isn’t too difficult to envisage Morelos catching up with the Frenchman between now and the end of the season. Indeed, Morelos has a marginally higher goals per 90 (G/90) than Dembele managed at Celtic.

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In terms of setting up opportunities for their team-mates, the two forwards once again have a near-identical level of output. Morelos has one more assist at Rangers than Dembele managed at Celtic and edges ahead in this regard, but only by the smallest of margins.

Advocates of Dembele will no doubt point out that the Lyon striker had Champions League football under his belt by the time he left Celtic and this is clearly a factor that would be taken into consideration by any potential buyer. Morelos, for his part, has taken part in the Europa League and has made a decent impact at this level.

Comparisons between players’ performances in the Champions League and the Europa League aren’t ideal, but both Morelos and Dembele’s scoring record is outlined in the graphic above. As we can see, Dembele actually has a higher goalscoring rate than Morelos, despite playing at a higher level, and the French striker’s G/90 is identical to his expected goals per 90 (xG/90).

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This means that Dembele scored about as many goals in Europe for Celtic as he could have reasonably expected to during his time at the club. Morelos, on the other hand, has actually underperformed a little in Europe; the 22-year-old has a G/90 of 0.29 but an xG/90 of 0.37, indicating that he could perhaps be doing a little better in continental football.

Both strikers have scored a barrel load of goals for their respective sides but the mark of a top centre forward comes from providing match-winning moments for their side. Morelos has scored 11 match-winning goals since moving to Ibrox in the summer of 2017 but Dembele again has the edge here, having provided 14 during his time at Parkhead.

When the opposition for these game-winning goals are examined, Dembele’s list of opponents does make for slightly more impressive reading than Morelos’. Dembele scored match-winning goals twice in the qualifying rounds of European competition and twice in an Old Firm. Morelos got the winner against Osijek in this campaign’s Europa League preliminaries and has others against the likes of Aberdeen and Kilmarnock, but has failed to make the difference in the derby. Players for either side of the Old Firm are going to be judged on how they perform on derby day and Dembele certainly has the edge here.

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There is also the small matter of Morelos' temperament. The 22-year-old has amassed 25 yellow cards for Rangers, with four reds. This is likely to be a cause for concern for any potential buyer, should they come calling. Dembele was never sent off at Celtic, and accrued just nine yellow cards during his time at the club. There is no question that Morelos' aggression adds to the striker's game, but there is an obvious downside to this. Dembele, on the other hand, had no such baggage when he joined Lyon.

Ultimately, it looks as if Robertson’s calls for a £20 million fee might be a little premature. Morelos has lit up the Premiership this season and has developed into one of the finest forwards in the country, and his goalscoring output is equal to Dembele’s at first glance. However, the former Celtic striker was more effective at providing game-defining moments and did so in bigger games.

If Morelos stays for another season at Ibrox and maintains his current level of performance, then the case for the Colombian will only grow stronger and any potential fee will only increase. But, for the time being, Dembele’s extra experience of playing in the Champions League and his ability to turn a match in Celtic’s favour made him a more effective player, and as a result a more valuable prospect. Dembele set the standard for young forwards developing in Scotland; Morelos isn’t too far behind the Frenchman at present, but still has a bit more to do before he can be declared a £20 million player.