It’s fair to say that, after a pretty sluggish start to life at Rangers, the Mick Beale-era addition has made a far brighter beginning in his new surroundings.
And when Rangers agreed a deal that could see them make a £3 million profit – despite Jose Cifuentes making only nine Scottish Premiership appearances and failing to score a single goal – the Glasgow giants must have been wondering how on earth they had done it.
Aris Thessaloniki put forward an offer that saw Cifuentes move to Greece on an initial loan deal. But, should Aris look to keep the Ecuador international beyond the current campaign, Rangers will be due an eye-watering £4.2 million windfall, per All About Aris.
A quite remarkable piece of business, considering just how underwhelming Cifuentes had been during what turned out to be only a few months at Ibrox.
Rangers send Jose Cifuentes to Aris
‘Remarkable’, meanwhile, is the word Spyros Gogolos uses to describe a man who has already made more of an impact at Aris than he did in half a season with Rangers.
The Gers saw very little of the goal threat Cifuentes displayed over in America with Los Angeles FC.
He needed only 124 minutes of football to open his account in the Greek Super League, however, with former Aris defender Gogolos feeling that Cifuentes – reportedly the club’s best-paid player ever – can be a difference-maker who lays the foundations for a potential title charge.
“Remarkable players have come to Aris this year and have already shown their worth,” Gogolos tells Metro Sport. “Aris is a new team. I want to believe that time will work in our favour.
“We have seen positive things and negative things in these first three matches. The players that have arrived will help and I have a feeling that it will be a good year for the team.
“Cifuentes is a complete footballer. He has showed that he is a high quality player. He will be pivotal in the midfield, and is the player who will make the difference this season.”
Ecuador ace only made nine Scottish Premiership appearances
Cifuentes was not helped by the system Mick Beale deployed during their brief time together in Scotland.
He thrived as a box-to-box number eight in Major League Soccer but struggled to stamp his authority on proceedings in a more withdrawn, deeper role in a Rangers shirt.
By his own admission, Cifuentes is far happier in a attack-minded position.
And, when explaining his decision to embark upon a short-lived spell at Brazilian outfit Cruzeiro in the spring, the 25-year-old highlighted not only the baltic conditions of Glasgow but also his desire to escape from the tactical shackles imposed upon him at Ibrox.
“There were two Russian teams who wanted to sign me. However, with the war that is going on there, it was something that could not be carried out because European teams are not allowed to receive money from Russian clubs at the moment I think,” Cifuentes explained, via The National.
“There was a team from the English Championship interested and a club from Turkey too. But it would have been a loan for five months which meant uprooting from family again after they had already had to adapt to Scotland, which would have been a problem.
“So I had to make the best decision for them and that’s why I’m here in Brazil. I made my debut for Cruzeiro last week and it was sunny. I didn’t experience the sun for the six months I was with Rangers. It was always cold.
“I like to play as an attacking midfielder, but positioning is something that I adapt to the team for who I am playing.”
