Rangers transfer news: Cyriel Dessers Ibrox move backed in ‘fantastic’ verdict as significant bid tabled
Cyriel Dessers has been backed to be “very productive” at Rangers because he is at a “fantastic age”, according to Thomas Buffel.
The Nigerian international striker is in the Light Blues’ sights, with the Daily Record reporting on 4 June that “significant seven figure bid” had been tabled for the 28-year-old and talks ongoing after the initial offer was knocked back.
Belgian Buffel, who spent time at Ibrox, Feyenoord and Genk has tipped the Cremonese forward to handle the pressure at Ibrox if he completes a summer move to also play for all three, after his experience with the Dutch side in the Eredivisie.
Buffel said, via the Daily Record: “He’s played every week at Feyenoord in front of 40,000 people – so he knows what pressure feels like. Sometimes at Rangers players have difficulty adapting to that.
“There is pressure at a club like Genk but it’s not the same as playing in front of 40 or 50,000 people at clubs like Feyenoord and Rangers – the difference is huge. But Cyriel has shown he can cope with that change. He’s not a young player anymore either.
“At 28, that’s a fantastic age. You’re at the best of your level and you have a lot of experience under your belt. I think it would be an asset for any club to have a player like him in their team.
“For me, he’s a player who can be very productive in Glasgow. That’s the first thing you look at when you search for a Rangers striker because you have to score goals at that club. It’s OK if you can dribble or play nice as a target man but at the end of the day, Rangers strikers have to score.
“But Cyriel is a goalscorer and if he has good players around him who deliver the ball to the right spot, he will make the runs that allow him to hit the net.”
Advancing
With the goalkeeper question now answered with the capture of Jack Butland on a free from Crystal Palace the attacking department is now the biggest priority for Michael Beale this summer.
Losing Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent leaves a big gap to fill, and it looks like Dessers has a chance of being part of the succession up top.
The striker is only a year removed from a 20-goal season for Feyenoord in all competitions, and while his record fell to 10 this season between Genk and Cremorense he could be a valuable addition at the right price.
Whether Antonio Colak is set to remain at Ibrox remains in doubt, with the Croatian struggling for fitness under Michael Beale amid suspicions that he doesn’t fit the manager’s style.
And while Kemar Roofe could be an important part of the striker rotation if he could ever stay fit that is so often not the case, so multiple forwards are surely needed this summer.
Rangers will have to spend smartly to bring all the bodies they need through the door, and so far look to have done so with three free transfers, so they are unlikely to break the bank if a deal for Dessers proves tricky.
But there is clearly some intent to bring him in currently with money on the table, and ex-Ibrox man Buffel is supportive of the prospect.
In other Rangers news, the Light Blues are stuck in limbo after multiple bids on another target as a “disagreement” drags on between two clubs.