The Blackpool forward has been linked with Rangers since last year and rumours surfaced again at the weekend that a move may still be in the pipeline. He’s worked his way up the English leagues to get to the Championship and apparently Blackpool value him at around £5m. They are currently in a perilous position in the relegation zone though, so should they go down Rangers will surely be able to negotiate a lower transfer fee. So who is he?
Name – Jerry Yates
Age – 26
Nationality – English
Position – ST
Club – Blackpool
A high energy striker offering a play style much more similar to Alfredo Morelos than Antonio Colak. A strong ball carrier with high levels of agility allows him to weave in and out of defenders while still keeping the ball, allowing him to make chances for himself and others. He takes on defenders like a winger would, something Rangers don’t really have in a central forward, unless you include Sakala in that bracket.
His numbers in the English Championship this season look like this;
- 40 Appearances
- 13G/4A
- 253mins Per Goal
- 20% Goal Conversion
- 52% Dribbles Success (0.8 Per Game)
Definitely not the numbers of a player worth £5m, even taking Blackpool’s struggles into consideration. He could be effective on the wing for Rangers as he does possess good pace and dribbling ability and could be a right footer coming in from the left, similar to Kent was.
Even for a winger with these numbers the £5m seems step so if Rangers are looking to pursue Yates they should definitely be looking at cutting that price tag down.
He is about to enter the peak of his career so it may be a good time to bring him in. Another issue though, is the fact he’s never played at a higher level than the Championship, which isn’t an issue domestically but fans would expect a higher calibre of player for European competitions.
What would you think about Jerry Yates coming to Rangers? Does the fact this is another like from the English Championship worry regarding this summers recruitment strategy?