Glasgow Rangers manager Russell Martin confirmed that there will be further changes to the playing squad after the 2-2 draw at Ibrox on Sunday.
The Scottish head coach has revealed that there will be more signings to be added to the group to bolster his team, and that means that there will be players who have to move on as well.
Martin has brought in Lyall Cameron, Max Aarons, Joe Rothwell, Thelo Aasgaard, and Emmanuel Fernandez, but is ‘expecting’ more recruits to arrive at Ibrox in the coming weeks.
It now remains to be seen who will remain at Rangers and who will be allowed to move on from the club, whether that be star players who may earn big moves or those on the fringes who are looking for more game time.
The Scottish Premiership giants have not always made the best decisions on player exits, as they have fumbled the chance to rake in huge profit on stars, such as Ryan Kent.
How Rangers fumbled millions with Ryan Kent
After an initial loan spell at Ibrox, Rangers swooped to sign the English winger from Liverpool for a reported fee of £7.5m in the summer of 2019 to bolster Steven Gerrard’s squad.
The electric left winger certainly proved his worth during his time in Glasgow, as he played a key role in the club’s Premiership title win in the 2020/21 campaign.
Kent ended that season with a return of 13 goals and 14 assists in 51 appearances in all competitions for the Scottish giants, which included ten goals and ten assists in the top-flight.
In the summer of 2020, Gerrard revealed that the club had “strongly rejected” an offer from a team for the winger, which was reported to be a £10m bid from Leeds United.
The Daily Mail then reported that Leeds were ‘unsuccessful’ in an attempt to sign the forward for a fee of £15m after his performances during the title-winning campaign for the Light Blues.
Summer 2020
£10m Leeds bid
January 2021
£6.8m
Summer 2021
£15m Leeds bid
December 2021
£14m
June 2022
£15m
March 2022
£9.4m
June 2022
£7.7m
July 2023
£0 (released)
As you can see in the table above, it may have been a mistake by the Gers to turn down that second offer from the English side, as he went on to be released for nothing just two years later.
His value continued to plummet before he left Ibrox on a free transfer in the summer of 2023, and they may wish that they had cashed in on him when they had the chance to.
Rangers reject offer for forward
The Light Blues must avoid any similar mistakes with their star players this summer, after Martin confirmed that the club have turned down a bid for one of their forwards
Transfer Focus
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Cyriel Dessers watched on from the stands as Rangers played against Club Brugge on Sunday, and the manager revealed after the match that the club have officially rejected a bid for the striker already.
Martin explained: “Cyriel, he’s just been injured his ankle. So, he’s here today. We turned down a bid a while ago for him that was nowhere near the valuation for the football club.
Martin added: “So, that [deal is] nowhere near happening. He’ll get on the training ground this week and start enjoying it.”
No price tag or club was mentioned by the manager, but Greek side AEK Athens have been heavily linked with the forward. Journalist Giannis Chorianopoulos claims that they are set to make contact with Rangers once again this week over a deal for the number nine.
Why Rangers should cash in on Cyriel Dessers this summer
Rangers reportedly paid a fee of £4.5m to sign the Nigeria international from Cremonense in the summer of 2023, and the club should cash in on him this summer if any team comes in with an offer of more than that – £5m or more.
They turned down two bids for Ryan Kent, of £10m and £15m, that would have seen the Gers make a significant profit on the initial £7.5m that they paid for him, and they lived to regret that as the forward went on to leave for nothing in 2023.
The Nigerian forward turns 31 in December and his current contract at Ibrox is due to expire in the summer of 2027. That suggests that this summer may be the peak of his value at the club, because he is now heading towards the latter stages of his career and the latter stages of his contract.
This is their last chance to cash in on Dessers at peak value, as he will only have 12 months left on his contract next summer, and that is why they should look to move him on amid interest from AEK Athens.
Appearances
35
35
Goals
16
18
Big chances missed
27
20
Assists
4
2
Ground duel success rate
29%
34%
Aerial duel success rate
40%
31%
As you can see in the table above, the 30-year-old striker has been an unreliable forward in front of goal for the Scottish giants in his two seasons in the Premiership.
Goal returns of 16 and 18 respectively are very solid hauls on paper, but 47 ‘big chances’ missed shows that the striker, who former Aberdeen chief Keith Wyness described as “marmite”, has not been dependable enough.
Dessers is an incredibly wasteful finisher and Martin could improve his Rangers team by cashing in on him this summer to then bring in a more efficient marksman to lead the club back to glory.
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Therefore, the Light Blues must cash in on the forward in the coming weeks to avoid a Ryan Kent repeat and to potentially improve the squad.