A big admission has emerged on Glasgow Rangers striker Fashion Sakala and his future at Ibrox in the summer transfer window...
What's the talk?
The Light Blues attacker has revealed that he does not want to leave the club on a temporary basis amid speculation of an exit for him in the coming weeks.
Glasgow Times quotes him as saying: “Obviously I am very happy to be here. All this talk about loans? I don’t think I can go on loan. I am not looking at loan moves.
“There is no need for me to go on loan because my first season was not bad. I scored 12 goals in all competitions and that was my adaptation season. Now I have to prepare myself to do better this season.
“If I hadn’t got the chance last season or if I had not scored a single goal then I would have said: ‘Okay, I need to make a move, I need to go’. Because for me, I can be here at this big club, but if I am not playing then it does not mean anything."
Supporters will be delighted
Gers supporters will be delighted by this as losing Sakala this season would be a blow to Gio van Bronckhorst's attacking options.
As the player has admitted himself, the 2021/22 campaign was a transitional year for him as he adapted to life in Scottish football. Along with adjusting to playing in a new country, he also had to deal with Steven Gerrard - who signed him - leaving and a new boss coming in.
In spite of these challenges, Sakala produced nine goals and three assists in 13 Premiership starts last term - playing 30 matches in total. He has shown that he has the quality to make a big impact at the top end of the pitch and hopefully, he will be able to take it up a notch with a season of experience under his belt.
The 25-year-old averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.05 in the Scottish top-flight and this shows that he is capable of delivering excellent displays in the division, which is why keeping him will be a boost to van Bronckhorst's squad.
Supporters will surely want to see a player with his goalscoring potential remain at Ibrox this season.