If Rangers can afford the reported £7 million transfer fee required, well, this is a bit of a ‘no-brainer’ really for the Scottish Premiership runners-up in-waiting.
That is the view of both Simon Donnelly and Marvin Bartley, the two pundits completely in agreement when it comes to Rangers pursuing a permanent deal for a footballer who not only knows the league, has proven himself to be a bonafide matchwinenr at this level, and – most importantly of all – is open to putting pen to paper at Ibrox.
This week, speaking to the media back home in the Czech Republic, Vaclav Cerny opened the door to a future with Rangers.
The Wolfsburg loanee is entering the final two months of his loan spell. And while Cerny’s agent indicated a future in Italy or France awaits, the man himself is not in quite such a rush to say his goodbyes to a club who have build him up again after a difficult spell in Germany knocked his reputation for six.
“I definitely do,” Vaclav Cerny said when asked if he hopes to stay at Rangers. “But there are so many aspects that I can’t control. All I can do is be the best I can and keep up my form and numbers.”
Simon Donnelly says Rangers ‘would be daft’ not to sign Vaclav Cerny
The ‘numbers’ certainly haven’t been a problem.
Cerny took his tally to 17 with that Istanbul brace as Rangers tore Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce side apart on the counter attack a fortnight ago. And while he might not have got on the scoresheet in the return leg, or during Sunday’s 3-2 triumph over Old Firm rivals Celtic, Cerny was still a constant thorn in the opposition’s side.
Donnelly, who spent six years at Parkhead in the 1990s, feels that Rangers ‘would be daft’ not to grab such an opportunity with both hands. Presuming, that is, the reported San Francisco 49ers takeover frees up the sort of funds needed.
“It’s a positive if Cerny has come out and said [he wants to stay]. He’s their best player,” Donnelly argues. “I think he’s been their most consistent player this year. I know he got a bit of stick in the beginning but I still saw enough to suggest there was a player in there.
“You look at his goals and his assists. That would be a boost for Rangers if they could keep him.”
While Rangers appear to be prioritising young, up-and-coming talent with considerable re-sale potential – see Lyall Cameron, Jefte, Hamza Igamane, Clinton Nsiala and Connor Barron – Donnelly feels that Cerny is worth bending the rules for as his 28th birthday approaches.
Marvin Bartley says Wolfsburg loanee Cerny ‘a no-brainer’
“People out there will argue they are still 13 points behind Celtic but he has been a success at Rangers this year, in terms of his goals and his assists,” says the one-time Premiership champion. “Every time there is something positive, he’s usually involved.
“I think they would be daft not to keep him if they have the finance there. They know what they are getting with him, and 27 or 28 is nothing really.”
“We always talk about the player trading model and Celtic have done it every so well; Giving them a platform and then selling them on,” former Hibernian and Livingston defender Bartley agrees. “Rangers fans have looked across with envy in recent times at that.
“It does get to a situation when you are saying; ‘A 27, 28 year old? Is our money better spent elsewhere?’. But I think the difficulty the new owners have is that they have to close the gap to Celtic. They need instant players now whereas Celtic can go for projects because they are way ahead of Rangers.
“If you are the new owners, even if there is a rule of thumb that you only sign players 25 or younger, I think it’s a statement [signing Cerny]. You bring him in if you can afford to do so.
“For me, it would be a no-brainer. Cerny ticks a lot of the boxes. I can’t see a way this goes wrong.”
Vaclav Cerny adds that he owes a huge ‘thank you’ to Philippe Clement, both for putting faith in the winger and allowing him the freedom to thrive in his attack. But it is under Ferguson, and in his new roving right-sided number ten role, where Cerny is threatening to reach another level entirely.
