Philippe Clement and Rangers Facing Tough Decisions Amid Premiership Struggles
Philippe Clement’s tenure at Rangers has been far from smooth sailing in the Scottish Premiership this season. From the onset of the campaign, the Ibrox side has been playing catch-up, constantly overshadowed by their fierce rivals, Celtic.
Though their Europa League performances have offered a silver lining, questions persist over which players Rangers should offload to refresh the squad. One name consistently in the transfer spotlight is Cyriel Dessers. According to a report from Italian outlet RaiNews (31 January), the Nigerian striker has emerged as the leading candidate for Cagliari to replace Gianluca Lapadula, who is on the verge of sealing a loan move to Spezia. This development presents a dilemma for Clement.
While cashing in on Dessers now could bring immediate financial relief, the clock is ticking with only a few days left in the transfer window—leaving little time to secure an adequate replacement. Moreover, if Dessers maintains his current form, the club could command an even higher fee for him in the summer.
Why Rangers Should Hold onto Cyriel Dessers
While selling Dessers might have been a logical move during the summer window to fund reinforcements in other areas, letting him go with just three days left in the winter window would be ill-advised. The Nigerian forward has found solid form recently, linking up effectively with Hamza Igamane in Clement’s starting XI.
Rangers may indeed need fresh signings to strengthen their European ambitions, but parting with Dessers isn’t the solution. The squad currently boasts only three natural strikers, and given Danilo’s injury history, losing Dessers would leave the team dangerously thin upfront.
A potential sale could be revisited in the summer when Clement and director of football Nils Koppen have the time to identify and secure quality replacements. For now, however, offloading Dessers would be a risky move that could backfire as Rangers navigate the remainder of their season.
