As the soundbites surrounding Cyriel Dessers from the hitman’s latest press conference suggest, Rangers’ new number nine is already settling into life at Ibrox pretty nicely.
Dessers was speaking to the media as he joins up with his new teammates for a pre-season training camp in Germany, the ex-Cremonese hitman all smiles following that summer switch to Glasgow.
The big striker too looks to be settling in very nicely going by a recent Twitter message where, accompanied by a blue heart, Cyriel Dessers suggested a love affair with Rangers has just begun.
The Belgian-born Nigerian international was the man that Michael Beale wanted to lead his new look Ibrox frontline and the Rangers board have clearly bought into the manager’s vision for the side.
For a club looking to massively improve its two-steps-forward-one-step-back model of player trading, to sanction a fee somewhere in the region of £4.5m for a 28-year-old striker is a statement two fold.
Firstly, it’s a strong message of backing for manager Beale, whose first two signings at Ibrox in Todd Cantwell and Nicolas Raskin surely bolstered his summer case for transfer business, with Cyriel signing number six of a busy window.
Secondly, it’s a strong message of backing for Cyriel Dessers who, in the prime of his career, is yet to find a home where he can consistently find the back of the net and make his name on the European stage.
Stage set for Cyriel Dessers to take Rangers by storm
Noted as a cult hero for several of his previous clubs, Dessers’ nine goal haul in Feyenoord’s Europa Conference League Final run two seasons ago etched him into the club’s recent history and the big man boasts the sort of personality, ability and work-rate which can make him an icon in Govan.
At Rangers, the club’s supporters value commitment to the cause and the blood, sweat and tears that comes with it as much as they do anything else and if Cyriel Dessers can offer than then the stage is set for him to come and take Ibrox and Scotland by storm.
There’s a feeling that Cyriel Dessers might’ve just found the perfect place in a transfer to Rangers which hits that sweet spot between a player’s personality, the right juncture of his career, and the character of the club he’s joining.
Ronald de Boer claims that Cyriel Dessers is a confidence player who thrives off the crowd and with Rangers’ creative juices flowing behind him, and the Ibrox crowd expectant, it’s all set for him to be handed that opportunity.
Michael Beale – who was clear that he had one main striker target since January – clearly believes that it’s an opportunity the striker will take.
Cyriel Dessers will be expected to score the goals which fire Rangers to domestic trophies and European success and he will be expected to do it from the first kick of the ball this season.
If the striker can handle that expectation then the move might just go down as a Michael Beale masterstroke with Rangers adding a potentially top striker for a cut-price fee.
