As he raced in behind the Arsenal defence and put his name into the hat for the Champions League’s Goal of the Season award, the watching Rangers supporters may have been left wondering what might have been.
PSV Eindhoven won the race to sign Couhaib Driouech from Excelsior last summer in a deal worth around £3 million.
But only after fighting off considerable competition. Competition from teams in Spain, Portugal and, yes, Scotland.
A player Nils Koppen knew well from his time in the Netherlands, Driouech confirmed that Rangers had made their interest known. But the lure of the reigning Dutch champions drew him to Eindhoven like a moth to a flame.
“Rangers, Sevilla and Sporting are absolutely beautiful clubs,” the Morocco international said. “But I wanted to go to PSV.”
One year on, however, that sumptuous consolation during PSV’s 9-3 aggregate defeat by Arsenal in the Champions League last-16 is shaping up to be one of the few stand-out moments in a season full of frustration.
Couhaib Driouech frustrated with PSV after rejecting Rangers’ advances
Yes, Driouech did miss almost two months of action either side of Christmas due to an ankle injury. But, even when fully fit, a place in Peter Bosz’s first XI has remained out of reach.
Driouech’s 13 Eredivisie appearances have all come from the bench. In all competitions, he has started just once.
And just one day after Driouech was left on the sidelines for PSV’s potentially season-defining 2-0 defeat to title rivals Ajax – putting a six-point gap between the two sides in the process – the speedy 22-year-old winger found himself turning out for the reserves in the Dutch second tier.
“I want to play for the first team. That’s why I came,” sighs an exasperated Driouech. “But if I have to make minutes at Jong PSV and they think it’s good for me, I’ll try to make the best of it.
“Anyway, I played 90 minutes, scored a goal and had an OK game. I hope [the coaches] watched. I just try to make the most of the minutes I get, stay as fit as possible and I hope my chance will come.”
“If it doesn’t work, you expect something else to happen.”
Driouech leaves door open for Rangers to return in summer window
Rangers will be in the market for wingers on both flanks this summer.
Wolfsburg loanee Vaclav Cerny is keen to stay at Ibrox but a reported £7 million price-tag could put pay to that. On the opposite flank, meanwhile, Ianis Hagi and Rabbi Matondo could both depart while uncertainty surrounds the future of the injury-hit Oscar Cortes.
Driouech turned down Rangers when PSV came calling back in 2024. Should he pick up the phone again to the Glasgow giants 12 months on, a man who won the Under 23 African Cup of Nations alongside one Hamza Igamane might not be so quick to hang up.
“If you don’t change anything, nothing will change,” he adds. “I try to train well and prove myself. Then, it’s ultimately up to the coach what he does.
“I came here, signed a five-year contract and I think I have to cherish every minute. I expect more, but that is not in my own hands.”
