Former Rangers captain Barry Ferguson thinks Mick Beale might have just signed a ‘cracker’ with Jose Cifuentes finally arriving at Ibrox from MLS outfit Los Angeles FC.
On Thursday night, a saga which had rumbled on throughout most of the summer came to an end at last.
Jose Cifuentes belatedly signed his four-year contract; Mick Beale getting his mitts on a player he has been keeping his eye on since the box-to-box midfielder was plying his trade back home in Ecuador.
And Ferguson cannot wait to see Cifuentes in action for Rangers, convinced that a player who featured at the Qatar World Cup last year could walk straight into Beale’s first XI.
“Having done a bit of homework on the Ecuadorian, he looks like a player the manager will be very keen to get into his starting XI,” Ferguson tells the Daily Record.
“I like the look of this guy; a box-to-box midfielder who can score goals and who looks composed and classy on the ball. He could be a cracker.”
Rangers seal Jose Cifuentes deal at last
Cifuentes scored seven goals and set up eight more for LAFC in 2022. The fact that only two players in the squad averaged more successful tackles per game than him too paints the picture of a well-rounded, versatile midfielder who – alongside January recruit Nicolas Raskin – should give Rangers an engine room capable of keeping pace with Old Firm rivals Celtic.
There is a reason why Steve Cherundolo, LAFC’s head coach, used the word ‘complete’ when discussing the ‘incredibly talented’ Cifuentes before his long-awaited Ibrox switch.
Saturday’s Scottish Premiership opener against Kilmarnock could come too soon for Cifuentes, however, though the likes of Danilo, Cyriel Dessers, Kieran Dowell and Abdallah Sima will be keen to make their domestic debuts againt Derek McInnes’ side at Rugby Park.
