“The No.9 jersey will be mine.”

Antonio Colak is someone that doesn’t lack self-belief and his words following Saturday’s season finale against St Mirren suggest that talk of a potential summer exit may well be premature.

The Croatian marked his return from injury with the third goal in the comprehensive 3-0 victory in Paisley.

It was his 18th goal of the season in 39 games, which is impressive given four of those appearances were as late substitutes in the closing minutes. Representing a conversion rate of around one in two.

Upon closer inspection, Colak netted 14 Premiership goals in 29 games despite his xG registering just 10.64, indicating just how lethal he's proved in front of goal. One can only assume Colak would’ve racked up in excess of 25 goals if he hadn’t encountered two significant injury setbacks.

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Having shown an ability to score big goals in big matches against PSV Eindhoven and Union Saint-Gilloise in the Champions League qualifiers, not to mention his brace against Rangers for Malmo the year prior, perhaps Colak can prove most useful in matches with limited opportunities. 

With an influx in firepower expected this summer, the powerful striker is someone who has sparked debate over his worth amongst the Rangers fanbase. But with his aforementioned goal return is the 29-year-old not worth keeping around?

Speculation that the former PAOK man may be heading for pastures new intensified when he changed agent last month to CAA Stellar stable renowned for getting their men good moves. Still, his post-match comments at the weekend speak of someone desperate to stay in Govan.

“I waited for this moment to score and I worked hard for it,” Colak said.

“I still wanted to get minutes at the end of the season, to be there when it counts. To have the feeling to score again. I’m happy to join Tav as the top goalscorer for the season.

“Injuries are a part of the game and you don’t have time to breathe. You always have to stay positive and work hard. I’d never had a period like this in my career. Unfortunately, it was like this recently.

“I’ll now work hard this summer to make sure I’m as well prepared as possible for next season.

“I performed well when Alfredo and Ryan have been here all season, so as always there will be changes with the club in the transfer window. There will be competition for every spot, but we’ll see what happens. Everyone at the club is excited about what’s coming up.

“Of course, I want to be the top man next season. The No.9 jersey will be mine. I will always fight for my position. What counts on the pitch is to show the quality. I know my qualities and I think everyone can see it when I play – I can score goals. I want to help in every possible way that I can.”

Those are words of a player not willing to give up his shirt without a fight which can only be a positive for Michael Beale and Rangers. The question, ultimately, will be whether Colak is content being a squad player should the club strengthen in the striking position.

He is someone who strives for top billing and you can’t imagine he will be happy fulfilling the role of support act to a potential new arrival.

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A quick glance at his career prior to his move to Ibrox suggests Colak is partial to a signing-on fee and given his change in agency to a group that represents some of the most high-profile players in the game, you can’t imagine he’ll be short of offers should he wish to move on.

There’s no doubting his icy calm when presented with opportunities and if Rangers are to wrestle back the league title then they’re going to need goals, and a lot of them. In Colak, they have a ready-made player capable of racking up numbers.

If able to contribute similar numbers witnessed in his debut season, a place in the squad is merited.