Rangers cannot afford to lose Kris Boyd. Not only does Boyd guarantee 25 goals a season, if not more, but he also guarantees Rangers a second consecutive league title, Champions League football, and in turn, possibly the most important thing for Rangers - £10 million pounds.
Yes, letting Boyd go right now means an immediate cash injection but that is all it means. It spells the end of the title chase and ends hopes of playing amongst Europe’s best next season.
Also, it is not only this season that is a worry if he is to leave. Who is going to guarantee, without fail, at least 25 goals next season and the season after that?
Boyd's all-round game has shown great improvement this season and, with four assists to his name, he is only four behind Steve Davis who is leading this stat in the SPL. So he is creating opportunities as well as sitting top of the scoring charts. It would take a lot of cash to replace the SPL's greatest ever goal scorer.
Keeping Boyd is definitely the best situation for the Ibrox club but with this in mind, they are going to have to think about using the summer to clear out two or three players to finance keeping him.
First to go should be Mendes. He has spent a long period of time on the injury table and I’m pretty sure we've not missed him. McGregor, who would bring us at least £5 million, wouldn't be a great loss either, especially with Alexander on board (who has already shown to be a better keeper than McGregor). Even sacrificing the likes of Novo and McCulloch would go down well with the Ibrox faithful if it meant keeping Boyd.
Why not offer Boyd the captains arm band? Instead of assuming that his loyalty will see him sign a new contract, Rangers need to show the striker and even the fans their ambition to keep him.
There is certainly no shortage of managers in England who would love to have Boyd at their disposal, but it is up to him to decide what he does. He is in the lucky situation of being able to wait and see what Rangers have to offer and compare this to what the Premier League has to offer.
If it was all about the money for Boyd, he would already be serving his trade in the English Premier League so Rangers obviously mean something to him. He is playing for the team he supported as a boy, he plays in front of 50,000 adoring fans every other week, he is now the first name on the team sheet and he scores goals for fun. Why would he seek a move elsewhere?
As much as every Rangers fan would love to see him stay, is it really what's best for him? I don't think so. Why would Boyd stay? What is there for him still to do in Scotland? Managers leave clubs when they have taken them as far as they can and it is time for Boyd to do the same.
He has won the league with the Ibrox outfit and played Champions League football. In 2008, he single-handedly won Rangers the CIS Cup and Scottish Cup, last season he was the top goal scorer with 27 and this season has become the all time SPL top goal scorer ahead of Henrik Larsson. Now it is time for Boyd to move up a level.
Running out at arenas such as Old Trafford, Anfield and Stamford Bridge is when you must know you have made it as a footballer and for Boyd to turn this opportunity down would be the biggest mistake he could make. Yes it would be a far bigger challenge playing away to the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool but this would develop Boyd as a player.
Barry Ferguson's best years were supposedly behind him and now look at him. He is developing and playing some of the best football of his career, scoring the winning goal away to Everton to knock them out the FA Cup just last week. James McFadden is also south of the border playing regular football for the most in-form team in England.
Are any of these players any better than Kris Boyd and were they really better than him when they left Scotland?
It has always been argued that Boyd’s tremendous goal scoring record is down to filling his boots against the small teams. As far as I’m concerned, a striker is rated on the goals they score. It's that simple. Putting the ball in the net is putting the ball in the net.
I don't care whether it is Rugby Park or Old Trafford, if Boyd gets the chances he will score the goals. If he decides to leave the comfort zone that is Ibrox he will score wherever he goes. I'm not saying he is the best footballer in the world but there are not many strikers who could boast the record he holds. Until he goes to England, he is never going to convince everyone just how good he is.
For his sake, he needs to go.
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