They do say good things come to those who wait.
That certainly rings true with regards to one of Rangers’ supposed summer targets. The Ibrox-linked forward finally – a few months later than planned – sealing his dream move to the club he came so close to joining back in January.
Rangers reportedly threw their hat into the ring to sign Excelsior talisman Couhaib Driouech recently, via FC Update.
But the winger’s ‘preference’ was always PSV Eindhoven. Only Excelsior’s failure to sign a replacement denied Driouech a mid-season switch to the runaway Eredivisie champions.
Though with one year left on his contract and PSV keen to pick up where they left off, the silky Moroccan finally signed on the dotted line on Sunday.
Rangers, then, have officially now missed out on an exciting, deliciously direct right-footed left-winger who might just have been the ideal successor for Abdallah Sima on the blue side of the Glasgow divide.
Rangers miss out as Couhaib Driouech joins PSV Eindhoven
“I am very happy to be here and to be able to wear the PSV shirt,” Driouech beams, speaking to the PSV website. “For me, it is a real honour to be able to play here.
“I was on vacation with (PSV midfielder) Ismael Saibari last week and he said I would be crazy not to come.”
The Dutch champions, then, have got one over on Rangers again. It was PSV who scuppered the Gers hopes of playing in the Champions League group-stages last term, after all, and now add Driouech to an already star-studded attack featuring ex-Ibrox loanee Malik Tillman nearly 12 months on.
“He is a player with a lot of qualities,” adds Earnest Stewart, PSV’s director of football affairs. “His speed and technique allow him to create and finish chances. He has proven at Excelsior Rotterdam that he can perform under pressure and can also leave his mark on matches.
“I am pleased that it has worked out.”
Driouech scored eight goals and set up eight more for a poor Excelsior side in 2023/24.
A £3 million transfer fee, meanwhile, makes Driouech the biggest sale in the Rotterdam-based club’s entire history, per Voetbal Primeur.
Record transfer for Eredivisie side
“After the transfer fell through in the winter, we worked towards a transfer in the summer,” explains Excelsior’s technical director Niels van Duinen, speaking to the club’s website. “This is a fantastic reward for Cou and he really deserves this transfer.
“He is a good example of how we envision player development. He has developed incredibly well. He has done his utmost to invest in himself and to make a sporting contribution to our club.
“For us as Excelsior, this transfer is further proof that we can be a wonderful platform for players to take the next step in their careers. With the biggest transfer in the club’s history, we have achieved a common goal and we can all be proud of that.”
Rangers, meanwhile, may not have given up yet on bringing Sima back to Glasgow from Brighton and Hove Albion on a permanent basis. Any decision over the speedy Senegalese is likely to be made after new boss Fabian Hurzeler takes a closer look at Sima early in pre-season.
Philippe Clement’s side saw their hopes of bringing in Yusuf Kabadayi from Bayern Munich go up in smoke last week. Kabadayi joins rival Bundesliga outfit FC Augsburg.
