‘Fans don’t understand’ – Ferguson defends Rangers ace as exit route blocked
Rangers have enjoyed a memorable summer in the transfer market.
Russell Martin has already made several exciting new signings, and more are anticipated before the transfer window closes on September 1.
The Light Blues are seemingly having trouble getting unwanted players out of the door, though.
Rangers’ first-team squad is becoming too large, and some players will surely need to be sold in August.
This article includes exclusive comment from former Rangers midfielder Derek Ferguson.
Cifuentes transfer limbo is ‘not his fault’
Jose Cifuentes has received some backlash from Rangers fans for seemingly refusing to leave the club.
The Ecuadorian midfielder played well on loan at Greek side Aris Thessaloniki last season, but is still deemed surplus to requirements at Ibrox.
Cifuentes has been blocked from leaving on loan again this summer, as Rangers want to receive a transfer fee for him now.
Some fans are frustrated that he’s still at the club, although it’s not clear if any offers have been made for him.
Speaking exclusively to Ibrox News, former Rangers midfielder Derek Ferguson claimed that Cifuentes shouldn’t be blamed for the situation.
| Jose Cifuentes Rangers statistics | |
| Signed | August 2023 |
| Appearances | 20 |
| Goals | 0 |
He said: “It’s not his fault. He was offered a contract, and it’s like anyone in any workplace – if offered a good wage, you take it.
“It’s on the previous regime, whether that be the manager, the board or both.
“You’d like to think Cifuentes and the others not playing are showing some intent to find somewhere else. Some fans don’t understand that it’s a short career and players want to maximise every penny they can get out of it.
“It’s a Catch-22, but I wouldn’t blame Cifuentes or others too much.”
Cifuentes situation highlights difficulties of the transfer market
Rangers are seemingly in a situation where they need to sell players to be able to fund all of the necessary improvements to the squad.
If the media reports are to be believed, they have spent all summer trying to offload – or land hefty fees – for:
- Hamza Igamane
- Cyriel Dessers
- Jose Cifuentes
- Ridvan Yilmaz
- And several other fringe players
But it’s not always easy to get rid of unwanted players, especially if they’ve been offered wages that no other club is willing to pay them.
That could very well be the reason why Cifuentes remains at Ibrox. Few players are willing to take a pay cut when joining a new team.
The majority would prefer to continue picking up their superior wages, even if it means they never get on the pitch.
That leaves clubs like Rangers stuck paying players they have no intention of using. That can be very frustrating, especially if it prevents a club from signing new players.
Fans can’t be blamed for feeling frustrated at unwanted players in such a situation, even if they’d likely do the same thing in their position.
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