Rangers have often been criticised in recent transfer windows for keeping underperforming or ageing players longer than they really should have.
Certainly, no one could aim such an accusation at the Scottish Premiership runners-up this summer.
Connor Goldson, John Lundstram, Ryan Jack, Kemar Roofe and Borna Barisic – all 30-something survivors from that title-winning campaign under Steven Gerrard in 2021 – have all said their goodbyes this summer.
Rangers also jumped at the chance to cut their losses on Sam Lammers, impressively recouping much of their £3 million investment thanks to the Dutchman’s transformative loan spell at FC Utrecht.
Jose Cifuentes – another flawed Mick Beale-era signing from back in 2023 – will take the club’s tally of permanent, first-team departures to ten when he seals an exit of his own.
And what is it about players leaving Rangers in pairs? Barisic and Lundstram were quickly reunited in Turkey at Trabzonspor.
In another odd quirk of fate, Cifuentes and Goldson are likely to be sharing a dressing room themselves when next season kicks off.
Jose Cifuentes set to seal Rangers exit
Goldson brought an end to six largely excellent years in Glasgow when he moved to Greek outfit Aris Limassol.
“The time has come. It’s my time to get off the train and the ride that we have been on on together for the past six years,” the £3 million signing from Brighton said in an emotional Instagram post.
“This is really hard to write but I think that it is the right time to write it.”
Cifuentes will follow the same path when he too becomes an Aris player, potentially in the coming days.
Greek publication Press Aris report that an the Ecuador international should touch down ‘immediately’ after an agreement was reached with Rangers. Aris are further along in their pursuit of fellow midfielder Monchu – he is expected to undergo a medical on Thursday – but Cifuentes should not be too far behind.
The expectation was that Rangers would have to accept a rather substantial financial loss when cashing in on both Lammers and Cifuentes.
So, if you had told supporters at the start of the window that they would almost recoup every penny for the former while making a remarkable profit on the latter, your arm would have been chomped off at the elbow.
Cifuentes will be reunited with Connor Goldson in Greece
All About Aris reports that Cifuentes will join on an initial loan deal with a purchase clause in his contract. If triggered, the former Los Angeles FC ace will earn Rangers £4.2 million. A staggering £3 million more than Beale paid to bring Cifuentes across the Atlantic a year ago.
Not bad for a player who made just nine Scottish Premiership appearances without scoring once or even providing an assist.
Cifuentes is also due to become the best-paid player in Aris’ entire history, earning ‘crazy’ wages of up to £24,000-a-week.
Interestingly, Cifuentes is currently on loan in Brazil with Cruzeiro.
But, having struggled to establish himself at a Foxes side who sacked the manager who brought him in in the first place, Cruzeiro are unlikely to stand in the 25-year-old’s way.
