The story of Rangers’ transfer deadline day, as it transpired, was more about those who stayed than those who would arrive.
The only new face to join Philippe Clement’s squad on Monday will not technically become a Rangers player until the summer.
Lyall Cameron is set to join from Dundee, but only when his Dens Park contract expires at the end of the current campaign.
Back on January 1st, meanwhile, if you had told the Rangers faithful that Cyriel Dessers would still be plying his trade at Ibrox a month later, while also forcing his way back into Philippe Clement’s starting XI, they would have been forgiven for wondering if you’d misplaced your marbles.
Dessers had slipped to a distant third in Clement’s pecking order back then. And, just over a week into the New Year, reports claimed that Rangers had opened preliminary talks about selling Cyriel Dessers.
Talks which, in the end, came to nothing.
Cagliari shine a light on why Cyriel Dessers stayed at Rangers
Whether it was a case of Rangers removing Dessers from the transfer list on the back of his sudden return to form, or because the interest from abroad never really materialised, the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle.
Take Cagliari, for instance.
The Serie A strugglers reportedly made Dessers their first-choice target last month. And while the former Cremonese striker may well have featured highly on Cagliari’s radar, at least initially, sporting director Nereo Bonato suggests that nothing was ever as close as it was made out to be.
Bonato admits that the Sardinians thought better of bringing in an ‘experienced’ centre-forward midway through the campaign. An experienced centre-forward such as Dessers, the well-travelled Nigeria international who celebrated his 30th birthday in December.
“It would have been risky to sign an experienced player who might have struggled to settle in,” Bonato explains, content with the forward options currently at Cagliari’s disposal.
“We have [Leonardo] Pavoletti and also Kingstone [Mutandwa], without forgetting the youth teamers like [Andrea] Cogoni and [Carlo] Soldati, who are making their mark.”
Furthermore, in Atalanta loanee Roberto Piccoli, Cagliari have a striker enjoying statistically his best-ever season in Italy’s top flight.
“As for the central attacker, we considered giving complete trust to Piccoli,” Bonato adds. “In theory, he can reach double figures. It is right to support him.”
Philippe Clement praises Dessers’ Ibrox ‘evolution’
In a further explanation as to why any interest in Cyriel Dessers fell by the wayside, the sporting director explains that Cagliari ideally wanted a striker who could also play out wide.
The Rangers number nine, however, is about as classic a centre-forward as it is possible to find.
Though you won’t find too many at Ibrox cursing Dessers’ continued involvement these days. What better way to silence your critics than by scoring six goals in six matches at a time when your future was more uncertain than ever?
“Cyriel played a brilliant game,” Philippe Clement beamed after Dessers produced arguably his finest Rangers performance against Union Saint Gilloise in the Europa League last week.
“The evolution of [him]… I remember when I came in last year, in October, how everybody was talking about him. Or even now some people still [doubt him]. But the games that he played this season already and how many goals that he’s made…”
“Cyriel Dessers put in one of, if not his best ever, performances in a blue jersey up front,” agrees Ibrox icon Barry Ferguson. “Dessers has certainly hit a purple patch of form. He had scored six goals in his four previous games but Thursday night was as good as I can remember him performing outside the box.
“His hold-up and link play was immaculate and his assist for [Vaclav] Cerny’s winner deserves huge praise.”
