Kelsy and Naderi fire Rangers' front line back to life

With Lawrence Shankland and Youssef Chermiti still sidelined, Rangers have found an unexpected solution at the top of the pitch. Kevin Kelsy and Ryan Naderi combined for three goals and an assist in the 4-0 demolition of St Johnstone, offering Derek McInnes genuine evidence that his front line can function without its established names.

Kelsy struck twice, opening the scoring after linking intelligently with Naderi, who in turn registered a goal and an assist. The Venezuelan's brace took his tally for the campaign to five Premiership goals; a FotMob snapshot dated 24 October 2026 had credited him with three from six appearances before the St Johnstone fixture.

"Goals and assists for a striker make such a big difference in the style of play and how you approach the whole game," said ex-Rangers forward Peter Lovenkrands on BBC Radio Scotland's Sportsound. "You take shots, you are more confident with your touches, everything like that just gets better and better. This will do a world of good for Kelsy's confidence."

The decision to pair the two, at the expense of Djeidi Gassama dropped to the bench, paid off handsomely and pointed to a more aggressive template for the weeks ahead.

Naderi's rise draws Muller comparisons

Naderi's influence is not a one-game phenomenon. His first-half double against Kilmarnock on 11 October 2026 helped McInnes' Rangers to a sixth straight Scottish Premiership win and the top of the table, extending a seven-game winning run in all competitions — and prompting Lovenkrands to compare the German-born Czech Republic international to Thomas Muller.

That earlier breakthrough, reported on 11 October 2026, framed Naderi as a decisive figure in Rangers' revival under McInnes. His unorthodox movement and eye for goal have since been supplemented by the understanding he is now building with Kelsy, giving the manager a striking partnership to lean on while Shankland and Chermiti remain absent.