If ever a signing summed up the Michael Beale era at Rangers, it’s Ecuadorean midfielder Jose Cifuentes.
Whilst there’s an old adage about not every signing being a hit, Rangers took a punt on the LAFC midfielder and convinced him to move to Scotland.
The only thing is, we don’t think Jose got the memo about the weather.
Swapping Beverley Hills for Battlefield Road didn’t exactly go to plan with Jose Cifuentes struggling to settle and eventually leaving Glasgow’s gray skies behind, unlikely to ever return.
But whilst the weather might’ve been a factor in Cifuentes’ uninspiring stint at Ibrox, it almost certainly was not as the midfielder toiled in Belo Horizonte in Brazil.
Having seen his loan spell at Cruzeiro cut short, Rangers fans were nervous that the club have been lumbered with Cifuentes for another three years.
Step forward Aris in Greece, and step forward Jose Cifuentes, whose first-ever start in Thessaloniki has raised hopes of Rangers banking a transfer profit.
Jose Cifuentes in dream Aris debut
Jose Cifuentes has been getting familiar with his surroundings in Greece after spells in the US, Scotland and Brazil since leaving Ecuador.
The 25-year-old midfielder has signed a season-long loan deal with Aris Thessaloniki and was handed his first start with the Super League side against Panserraikos this weekend.
Having come off the bench the week previously, this was Cifuentes’s full debut at a new club and it probably couldn’t have gone any better.
In a storybook start to life in Greece, Jose Cifuentes popped up to score the only goal of the game as Aris picked up their first win of the season.
It was a very tidy finish too, with Cifuentes popping up at the edge of the D outside the penalty box and lashing the ball into the bottom corner.
It’s some way to introduce yourself to your new supporters and let’s hope it’s the start of something for the midfielder at Aris, for Rangers’ sake as much as that of Cifuentes.
Rangers transfer clause confusion amid £3m profit claims
There’s been some conjecture surrounding Jose Cifuentes’ loan switch to PAOK from Rangers this summer.
The 25-year-old midfielder has signed a season-long loan deal with the Greek club but it remains unconfirmed if there is an option-to-buy stitched into the contract.
Whilst neither Rangers or Aris made mention of a purchase option in their statements confirming the transfer, that’s not what others have said surrounding the switch.
According to reports in Greece, Jose Cifuentes has a €5m (£4.2m) clause inserted into the contract and the midfielder’s maiden strike will raise hopes of Rangers banking a profit.
According to Sky Sports, the Gers paid LAFC £1.2m to sign Cifuentes earlier having agreed a pre-contract with the player in the final six months of his deal, meaning the club stand to bank a £3m profit on the midfielder.
Whether this option is accurate or not, Jose Cifuentes isn’t the only Michael Beale signing who Rangers have had to initially move out on loan.
Dutch striker Sam Lammers sealed a £2.7m move to FC Twente after spending six months on loan at FC Utrecht last season.
It proves that if Jose Cifuentes does well at his new club there will be suitors and Rangers will remain quietly confident of banking a profit on the loan Aris midfielder.
