Rangers have completed the signing of Nottingham Forest striker Jason Cummings on loan until the end of the season with a view to completing a permanent deal in the summer. 

The 22-year-old has become the third player that Graeme Murty has added to his squad on loan already this January. Jamie Murphy and Sean Goss had already arrived at Ibrox on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion and Queens Park Rangers respectively. 

The Gers are currently sat third in the Scottish Premier League and Murty will be hoping that the addition of Cummings could help them close the gap of 11 points between them and league leaders Celtic

Limited opportunities at The City Ground

Cummings joined Forest in the summer on a three-year deal for a fee reported to be in the region of £1 million from Hibernian. He was Mark Warburton's first addition of the summer and he was seen as a promising signing who could bring plenty of goals to The City Ground and help them compete at the top end of the division. 

It was clear to see why Warburton was eager to get a deal done for the striker. He scored 23 goals in 39 appearances for Hibs in the 2016/17 season as they won the Scottish Championship title and secured their return to the top flight. It was seen as the next sensible step in his career to test himself in England with Forest and help them push for promotion to the Premier League

However, it never quite worked out for Cummings in Nottingham.  He only made 17 appearances in total for the club in all competitions and scored just four goals in the process. Only one of these goals came in the Championship, as he helped his side secure a 2-1 win against promotion hopefuls Sheffield United. His highlight came in a 3-2 extra-time win against Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup at St James' Park in which he scored a brace. 

The striker was left frustrated with his lack of opportunities to impress under Warburton which came as somewhat of a surprise considering he was the man who signed him. The likes of Daryl Murphy, Ben Brereton and Tyler Walker were all ahead of him in the pecking order. 

Cummings would have been hoping that his situation changed after Warburton was sacked by the club's hierarchy but new manager Aitor Karanka soon revealed that his opportunities would still be limited which resulted in him seeking this loan move away. 

Cummings found game time hard to come by at Forest. (picture: Getty Images / Bryn Lennon)
Cummings found game time hard to come by at Forest. (picture: Getty Images / Bryn Lennon)

Cummings "delighted" to join "massive" club

Cummings made no secret of his desire to play regular football and that he is not a player who is happy sitting on the bench every week. This is a key reason behind why this move has materialised in such a quick period of time. 

He told RangersTV: "I am absolutely delighted to come to such a massive club. Once I knew they were interested, there was no question in my mind that I wanted to sign for them."

He added: "My situation down south meant that I wasn't going to play as much, so I was just wanting to get out there, get game time and get back to enjoying football again. I have always enjoyed playing against Rangers, and hopefully I can enjoy playing on the other side this time."

Rangers do have the option to sign the striker in the summer should he impress in the next six months at Ibrox. The fee involved with this has not been revealed but it is reportedly set to be around £600,000, meaning Forest would have to take a loss on the striker. 

The 22-year-old could make his debut for Rangers this Sunday as they travel to Bellslea Park to take on Fraserburgh in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup

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About the author
Sam Straw
VAVEL Championship Editor. Journalism Student at The University of Sheffield. Nottingham Forest Season-Ticket Holder. Contributing to VAVEL UK since October 2016.