It was a point Philippe Clement made a few times before he got the boot at Rangers following last weekend’s dismal 2-0 home defeat by St Mirren.
It is all well and good wanting to sign a loan player on a permanent basis. Actually making such a deal happen, however, is another challenge altogether.
Rangers missed out on the chance to keep Abdallah Sima at Ibrox following the winger’s impressive spell at Ibrox during the 2023/24 season. In that very same year, Rangers lost Malik Tillman after Bayern Munich triggered a clause in his contract before selling the America international on to PSV Eindhoven for a far greater fee.
They say you should never fall in love with a loanee.
Well, it’s too late for that. Vaclav Cerny may have initially felt like something of a rebound after the heartbreak of losing Sima, but the Wolfsburg-owned winger has Cupid’s arrow aimed squarely at the Rangers faithful following a quite stunning run of form either side of the New Year.
After a slow start – Cerny was jeered by the home support during a clash with Hibernian early in the campaign – he now has 15 goals to go with his seven assists.
Yet, with reports saying Wolfsburg value Vaclav Cerny at around £7 million, are Rangers destined to suffer the same fate that befell them 12 months earlier when Sima and Tillman both said their goodbyes?
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Rangers’ Vaclav Cerny conundrum leaves Gordon Dalziel mulling over options
Gordon Dalziel, the former Rangers forward, is stuck in two minds.
On one side of the coin, this is a Rangers team lacking in genuine matchwinners. Cerny is one of the few capable of turning a game on it’s head with a moment of individual brilliance.
If Rangers are serious about catching Celtic in the relatively near future, then talents like the former Ajax wonderkid should be front and centre.
Yet, on the other hand, Dalziel accepts that a fee of £7 million – plus a presumably hefty pay-packet – would eat up a sizeable chunk of the budget at a time when Rangers need to invest in multiple areas across the park, plus look for a new permanent head coach.
“I’m a wee bit on the fence with that,” Dalziel says. “Not just the £7 million, it’s the wages as well. It’s the full package.
“[But] I think that, right now, you need the best players you possibly can [get]. He’s certainly stepped up, you can’t argue against that.”
Cerny provided the spark as Rangers came from behind to beat Kilmarnock 4-2 on Wednesday night.
The Gers looked destined to lose in Ayrshire for the sixth time since 2017 when Derek McInnes’ hosts cruised into a 2-0 lead inside 14 minutes. Cerny halved the deficit just before half-time, however, with a typically ice-cool finish after being played in by a perfectly-weighted Mohamed Diomande pass.
For Dalziel, there was no doubt in his mind that Cerny would come out victorious when one-on-one with Killie goalkeeper Jack Walton.
“When he went through, he’s one of those guys where you’re thinking; ‘He’s putting that in the back of the net’.”
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Barry Ferguson admitted he wanted Cerny to stay at Ibrox
Last week, reports emerged claiming that San Francisco 49ers were close to completing a takeover of Rangers.
The financial boost provided by ambitious American investors may be exactly what the doctor ordered in terms of Rangers’ hopes of retaining Cerny’s services.
Interestingly, interim manager Barry Ferguson has made his stance clear on Vaclav Cerny’s future already.
“He’s a player I like and would love to see stay beyond this year’s loan,” Ferguson told the Daily Record in January. “He’s a player who can come up with big moments. Most of those [goals] have been vital to Gers.”
