Jose Cifuentes in danger of brutal Philippe Clement axe already at Rangers
Jose Cifuentes has endured a difficult start to his career at Rangers and is in danger of a brutal axe already under new boss Philippe Clement should it continue on.
The Belgian, former Monaco coach, was announced as the successor to Michael Beale on a deal until 2027 on Sunday (Sky Sports, 15 October).
Clement takes over a Rangers side who are already seven points adrift of rivals Celtic in the Scottish Premiership table, meaning they already face a tall order to wrest the title back to the blue half of Glasgow.
One of the Belgian’s major tasks at Ibrox is to get the majority of Beale’s summer signings firing on all cylinders if the Gers are to match it with Celtic again and that certainly includes the Ecuadorian who has certainly bitten off way more than he can chew so far at Ibrox.
Cifuentes arrived at Ibrox to much enthusiasm and fanfare following his destructive performances for Los Angeles Football Club in the MLS
The 24-year-old was certainly the midfield weapon Rangers desperately needed when Beale brought him in from Los Angeles FC over the summer, providing much aggression, energy, cutting-edge and progressive play either from deep in midfield or in the advanced roles.
However, the Ecuadorian hasn’t shown such qualities so far in his time in Scotland with the midfielder not only struggling to impress at club level this season but also for his country.
Cifuentes was hooked off in the 55th minute of Ecuador’s 2026 World Cup qualifier in La Paz against Bolivia on Friday (13 October) with his teammates going on to win the game 2-1 thanks to a late stoppage time goal by Kevin Rodriguez.
However, it was another inept performance from the Rangers summer signing, after he was handed a disappointing 5.7/10 rating in his last international outing for his country against Argentina (8 September).
Several news outlets and journalists in Ecuador let it rip on the 24-year-old midfielder after his disappointing performance.
Newspaper Primacias awarded the ex-LAFC man with a match rating of 5/10, saying: “He was called upon to promote the circulation of the ball, but he made too many impressions and was not the partner that Moisés [Caicedo] needed. With his departure at 55′, the impression was left that his opportunities to show that he deserves to be a starter have run out.”
Radio Diblu journalist Kevin Verdezoto added that Cifuentes had “no influence” and that his opportunities with Ecuador are “running out due to poor performance” while Radio Diblu panellist Rogelio Arosemena took to Twitter to rip into Cifuentes:
“José Cifuentes must be presented as a more useful tool.
“He is doing the minimum, he does not take risks and he does not transcend.
“It lacks explosiveness, dynamics and creation.”
The international break was supposed to provide him with a welcome breathing space, potentially shining for his country in order to take that form and confidence to kickstart his Ibrox career.
The Rangers midfield is looking rather depleted right now following injuries and a fair few lacklustre performances in recent weeks and given the camaraderie around Cifuentes’ signing when he joined, he was supposed to provide the telling solution.
With a new direction now just kicking off under Clement, Cifuentes will be provided with a fresh clean slate again but should he fail to take the opportunity in the coming months, he may face a brutal axe from the Belgian already.
And that doesn’t mean from the Ibrox starting line-up but being forced to pack his bags to exit Scotland altogether. He’s got to get his act together quickly.
In other Rangers news, Simon Jordan has slammed the board after appointing Clement.