Of the eleven players who started in Rangers’ 3-0 defeat by Celtic in September, only five were included on Philippe Clement’s team sheet for Thursday’s Old Firm re-match four months on.
And while a few of those absences were down to circumstances beyond Philippe Clement’s control – Jack Butland, John Souttar and James Tavernier were all unavailable – a handful of other alternations show just how much has changed at Ibrox in recent times.
Nedim Bajrami was only a few hours into his Rangers career when the boys in blue made the trip to the green side of the city. Both Nico Raskin, Hamza Igamane Danilo all failed to get off the bench, while Ianis Hagi was left out entirely due to that contract wrangle which looked certain to result in an eventual departure.
Four months on, Raskin was the ‘outstanding’ performer as Rangers took revenge on Celtic with a 3-0 thumping of their own. Danilo marked a cameo display with a goal. And Igamane bullied the Hoops backline in the sort of performance rapidly becoming his trademark.
This time, it was the turn of Cyriel Dessers to watch on from the sidelines.
From Rangers’ first-choice to third-choice centre-forward in the blinking of an eye, the fortunes of the £4.5 million signing from Cremonese arguably best epitomise the sweeping changes Clement has made to his XI in recent times.
So much so that Cyriel Dessers could reportedly leave Rangers for France before the January window is out.
In his place, meanwhile, could come Iqraam Rayners.
- READ MORE: Rangers Transfer History 2016-Present
Rangers face Belgian battle for South Africa striker Iqraam Rayners
The late-blooming South Africa international, according to reports in his homeland, has emerged as a priority target during the winter market. Rangers are allegedly offering around £2.4 million for Rayners, too, although such claims are yet to be corroborated back in the UK.
Soccer Laduma wrote, back in December, that Rangers were happy to meet that 55 million rand asking price demanded by South African league leaders Mamelodi Sundowns.
The report does add, however, that the Sundowns could yet opt to turn down such an offer. Keeping Rayners – scorer of 13 goals in 18 games this season – could be the difference between another league title or a near miss, after all.
This week, further light has been shed on Rayners’ situation.
SNL 24 report that ‘interest in Rayners is growing every day’. Rangers now allegedly face a battle with Belgian outfit Sportkring Beveren, though the Flemish-based side are yet to match the £2.4 million offer on the table from Ibrox.
Whether they even can – Beveren are far from the richest team in the land – feels particularly unlikely. They have spent less than £800,000 on new players across the last four years, and did not invest a penny on signings in the summer of 2024.
“[Beveren’s] scouts are based all over the world, and they monitor players they are interested in,” a source tells SNL 24. “Now, they have inquired about Rayners.
“That [£2.4m asking price] was not only meant for Rangers. It’s for any team interested in him,” adds another source close to the situation. “So, if the Belgian club are interested in Rayners, then they have to meet that [price] or better it.
“The interest and the inquiry is there.”
Potential Cyriel Dessers replacement made history in 2024
Rayners, at 29, is only one year younger than Dessers. However, he could command lower wages than the one-time Eredivisie Golden Boot winner, and may be a little more willing to accept a supporting role behind Danilo and Igamane.
Iqraam Rayners made South African football history when he became only the second player to score five goals in a single match last season.
“Iqraam’s on a great run of form,” his then-Stellenbosch coach Steve Barker told IOL after Rayners single-handedly dispatched Kuala Lumpur FC 5-0. “He is a quality footballer and an excellent finisher, and you could see that
“What can one say? They were five special goals. Every goal was from a well-thought-out, well-struck or composed and quality finish.
“He showed his qualities again as a goalscorer.”
