Cyriel Dessers needed only 16 minutes after rising from the substitute’s bench to answer Rangers’ call.
With Philippe Clement’s side struggling to break down a diligent St Johnstone side at Hampden Park, Dessers replaced the ineffective Danilo and wasted little time firing Rangers into the quarter finals of the Scottish League Cup.
But, as influential as the striker was after entering proceedings, you would struggle to find a substitution more inspired than the one Roger Schmidt made on that very same Saturday afternoon.
Benfica were toiling until Tiago Gouveia entered the fray just after the hour-mark. And his impact was even more immediate than Dessers’.
Gouveia needed only five minutes to put the Lisbon giants ahead against Casa Pia, cutting in from the left and bending a perfect cross onto the head of new £17 million striker Vangelis Pavlidis.
Ten minutes later, the former Estoril loanee then got on the scoresheet himself. Again drifting in from the left, Gouveia needed only one touch of the ball to steer a fine volley into the far corner.
Rangers in for £7m-rated Benfica ace Tiago Gouveia
If Vaclav Cerny has solved Rangers’ issues on the right-hand side, could Gouveia be Clement’s answer on the left with Abdallah Sima seemingly set for a move to France?
Diario de Transferencias mentioned Rangers as one of many clubs targeting the Portugal Under 21 international this week, though a reported £7 million asking price may make a loan more likely.
“He’s a kid who I enjoy watching play. I like his attitude. He has quality, you can see that he goes all out, that he doesn’t hold back, and that’s the kind of player that Benfica needs,” club icon Miguel told A Bola after his ‘dazzling‘ introduction against Casa Pia.
“He is a player with great potential, but he hasn’t fully exploited it. Sometimes, the fact that he could have to leave the club at any moment is a bit annoying for a player, but that doesn’t stop him from always showing commitment.
“And what he has shown is helping him to stay in the squad, to earn his place.
“He is the kind of player I like, the kind of player who can do everything and play in any position. Sometimes, that can be detrimental, but knowing how to play three positions on the pitch also works in our favour. I think it can help him earn his place.”
Versatility will appeal to Ibrox boss Philippe Clement
Clement has put plenty of importance in versatile, adaptable footballers during his two transfer windows in the Ibrox dugout. Gouveia may have shone off the left wing on Saturday but he has impressed as a makeshift right-back recently.
Amid interest from clubs in France, Spain, Russia and England as well as Scotland, A Bola suggests that Benfica may look to delay any decision over his future until the final few days of the window.
“He is a homegrown player who knows what he represents means,” Miguel adds of the 23-year-old, who had a spell in the academy of rivals Sporting Lisbon. “In a few years’ time he will be able to pass on the message to newcomers.”
Gouveia’s homegrown status and his obvious affection for Benfica could perhaps be one of the biggest obstacles facing a Rangers side who have also been credited with an interest in Fiorentina’s Josip Brekalo.
“It seems to me that he is aware that Benfica is huge, that he is at the biggest Portuguese club and that he has all the conditions to go further”, adds the Euro 2024 finalist. “He is a player with a future and for me it makes perfect sense for Benfica to keep him.
“He is a different player compared to those currently in the squad.”
