For the second time in a matter of weeks, a potential exit route appeared to open up and then immediately shrink away.
With mid-July rapidly approaching and pre-season preparations soon to step up a notch, anyone hoping for a quick resolution to the uncertainty surrounding the future of one Cyriel Dessers may be disappointed.
It is a pretty commonly-held opinion that, despite scoring 22 goals during his debut season at Ibrox, Rangers may still need better if they are to loosen Celtic’s stranglehold on the domestic scene.
Kris Boyd, the five-time Premiership Golden Boot winner, is convinced that Philippe Clement needs ‘better’ in the final third, via the Scottish Sun. Kenny Miller, meanwhile, continues to champion the virtues of bringing Hearts hitman Lawrence Shankland to Glasgow.
“I still expect Philippe Clement to sign another centre-forward in this transfer window,” Miller tells the Daily Record. “That might mean Cyriel Dessers leaving the club.
“If I was the manager, I’d be holding on to Dessers until a replacement is found. I’m talking about a proper, tried-and-tested striker with experience behind him. Dare I say it, like Lawrence Shankland, for example.“
“In January, I stated that Rangers had to sign a proven frontman to get them over the line in the title race. They didn’t – and we know what happened after that.”
Rangers could sell Cyriel Dessers
But while the speculation surrounding Dessers’ future continues to swirl, there are more questions than answers at this point. Nothing imminent, that’s for certain.
PAOK Salonika, the club most frequently linked via the Scottish press, do not appear quite as keen as some would have you believe. Greek publication Filathlos reports that those Dessers rumours have been played down by PAOK, who continue to view Espanyol’s former Barcelona man Martin Braithwaite as their top target.
A similar story may now be developing over in Sardinia.
According to Tuttomercatoweb, Cagliari have explored the idea of bringing Dessers back to Italy one year after Rangers paid £4.5 million to bring an end to his time at Cremonese. Like with PAOK, however, the Belgian-born Nigerian appears to be – at best – a back-up option.
Gazzetta dello Sport claim that Calgliari’s number one striker option remains Roberto Piccolo of Atalanta.
Piccolo would cost a lot more than Dessers. More than twice as much. Nicolo Schira reports on X that the overall cost of the deal could set Cagliari back £11 million.
Still, their ongoing pursuit of the Atalanta youngster suggests that Cagliari are willing to put their money where their mouth is.
And that leaves Dessers’ immediate future more uncertain than ever.
Kris Boyd urges Clement to bring in a new striker
“Rangers supporters are desperate for a new number nine to arrive this summer,” Boyd argues. “I would be stunned if Philippe Clement hasn’t made that position a priority. I believe Rangers do need to bring in another top-class striker this summer.
“Cyriel Dessers could be on his way amid interest from PAOK in Greece. I’m sure there will be other takers for the big man.
“He splits opinion among the Rangers fans, and he’s a difficult player to get a handle on. I like Dessers’ attitude. I like the fact he doesn’t hide and he will always work hard for the team.”
While the former Feyenoord man may hold a special place in the heart of some Rangers supporters – the way he bounced back from a disastrous start and silenced the critics was admirable – but he still feels like merely a good striker for a team who need a great one to challenge Celtic’s throne.
“The striker scored 22 goals last season, and he deserved pass marks for that,” Boyd adds. “But Dessers can also be really frustrating to watch. I don’t know of many other strikers who can score two goals in a game, but all anyone talks about afterwards is the chances they missed.
“Dessers is a player who seems to convert the hard chances and then fluff the easier ones. You think back to that pivotal moment against Ross County in April when he could have made it 2-0 and completely killed the game. Instead, Dessers made a mess of it, Rangers went on to lose and never really recovered in the title race.
“Clement will know that he needs better options if he wants to take the team to the next level.
“If an acceptable bid comes in, I don’t see Rangers standing in the way of the Nigerian hitman and letting him move on after only one season at Ibrox.”
