Dessers upgrade at Ibrox: Rangers join race to sign “complete number 9”.
Glasgow Rangers manager Russell Martin is still dealing with changes to his first-team squad as he prepares for a European qualifying clash later this month.
One player whose future at Ibrox remains uncertain is striker Cyriel Dessers, who was not involved in Rangers’ friendly draw last weekend.
Dessers-Rangers-Martin
After the game, Martin explained the striker’s absence: “Cyriel has had a bit of a niggly ankle so he was here today. We turned down a bid a while ago for him that was nowhere near our valuation at the football club.
“He’s been great, he’s been desperate to train but he’s had some treatment this week on his ankle. He’s coming back and I’m looking forward to working with him.”
Rangers’ Cyriel Dessers celebrates scoring a goal that was later disallowed
The Ibrox boss confirmed that the club have turned down an offer for the 30-year-old attacker, who has been linked with a move to AEK Athens, and it remains to be seen whether or not the striker will still be at the club come September.
It could, however, make sense for Rangers to part ways with the experienced forward in the coming weeks, in order to improve Martin’s team for next season.
Why Rangers should sell Cyriel Dessers
It makes sense from a financial perspective because the striker is now in his 30s, in the latter stage of his career, and only has two years left to run on his contract at Ibrox.
Dessers-Rangers
This means that this summer could be the club’s last chance to get optimal value for the former Cremonese star, as he will only have 12 months left on his deal next summer at the age of 31.
It could also make sense from a footballing perspective because Dessers has not been clinical enough in front of goal to be a reliable number nine for Rangers in the big moments.
Wasteful finishing, like the attempt in the clip above, has been a recurring issue for the Rangers number nine, who has only scored two goals in ten matches against Celtic.
His performances on the European stage for the Light Blues were particularly telling of his quality in front of goal, as he struggled against top-tier opponents.
24/25 Europa League
Cyriel Dessers
Appearances
12
xG
5.49
Goals
3
Big chances missed
10
Big chances created
2
Assists
2
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Dessers missed a staggering ten ‘big chances’ in just 12 Europa League matches, and underperformed his xG by over two goals.
cyriel-dessers-rangers-celtic
The wasteful striker has missed a whopping 59 ‘big chances’ in his two seasons at Ibrox in the Scottish Premiership and European competitions combined, which is why the Gers could benefit from selling him to fund the signing of a new striker who can provide more quality in front of goal.
Rangers in the race to sign LaLiga striker
According to Macedonian news outlet Gol Mk, Rangers are one of a number of clubs in the race to sign Girona centre-forward Bojan Miovski before the end of the summer transfer window.
The report claims that the Light Blues want to sign the Macedonia international to bolster their options at the top end of the pitch, one year on from his move to Spain from Aberdeen.
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It adds that German sides Hamburg and Freiburg have both made contact with Girona to enquire about a possible deal for the forward, whilst Celtic are also interested in the left-footed marksman.
However, the outlet does not reveal how much the Spanish team would want in order to sanction a move for the striker, who was signed from Aberdeen for a reported fee of £6.8m.
Miovski-aberdeen-transfer-gossip-southampton-adams
If the Gers can win the race for the 26-year-old centre-forward in the coming weeks, though, then Martin would have a big upgrade on Dessers on his hands.
Why Miovski would be an upgrade on Dessers
The Light Blues would improve their team by selling the Nigerian forward in order to bring the Macedonian marksman back to Scotland this summer, because of his ability in front of goal and his record in the biggest games.
During his time with Aberdeen, Miovski scored four goals in nine matches against Rangers and three goals in seven games against Celtic, making it an impressive haul of seven goals in 16 games against the top two teams in the country.
Whereas, as aforementioned, Dessers has only found the back of the net two times in ten games against the Hoops, as he has let his side down too many times in the biggest matches.
This suggests that Miovski, who was once hailed as a “complete number 9” by journalist Josh Bunting, would be more likely to be a difference-maker for Rangers in the games against Celtic, both in the league and in the cup competitions, to increase the club’s chances of clinching silverware ahead of their closest rivals.
Premiership
Miovski (22/23 + 23/24)
Dessers (23/24 + 24/25)
Appearances
75
70
Shots
171
185
Goals
32
34
Big chances missed
31
47
Big chances created
10
10
Assists
4
6
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, they have a similar goal return across their two seasons in the Premiership, but Dessers has missed significantly more ‘big chances’.
This suggests that Miovski’s output could be even greater as a scorer if he were in a Rangers team that consistently creates the high-quality chances that the current Gers number nine gets on a weekly basis.
bojan-miovski
The left-footed striker endured a difficult season in LaLiga, with just two goals in 17 games, but he is a proven performer in Scottish football who would, in theory, be able to hit the ground running at Ibrox next season if the club can agree a deal to sign him this summer.
This is why Rangers must push to cash in on Dessers to fund a move for Miovski in the coming weeks, as they could improve their team by signing a proven Premiership star who has the potential to deliver even more quality in front of goal than the AEK Athens target.
Jermain-Defoe-Rangers
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