Rangers to accept defeat on player Philippe Clement loved as eyes set on Spain
Oscar Cortes is firmly against returning to Rangers in January despite his failures for Sporting Gijon on loan.
Cortes spent two seasons on loan at Rangers between 2023 and 2025 before sealing a £4.5million move from Lens.
Cortes’ move to Ibrox has been criticised by Ally McCoist, as the 21-year-old winger was sent out on loan to Sporting Gijon at the start of the season.
Having signed during Philippe Clement‘s reign in charge, the winger made 18 appearances in all competitions for the Bears.
However, even though he has only made seven appearances for the Spanish outfit this campaign, the 22-year-old remains determined to stay in Spain at all costs.
Oscar Cortes desperate to stay at Sporting Gijon
Spanish media outlet El Comercio has reported that Sporting Gijon has held talks with Rangers about the possibility of terminating Cortes’ loan spell, with the winger still waiting for his first goal of the season.
However, he has since spoken out about his desire to stay in the Spanish second tier and prove his worth away from Govan.
He said: “My mindset is to stay here and be with the team. To give my best every day and in every match so I can play. My focus is here, at Sporting, with my teammates.
“Perhaps I’ve had fewer minutes than some of my teammates, but I’m also motivated by the work the team has done.
“The group is doing very well, and maybe that’s where I need to work a little harder. I have to keep working and training hard so that more opportunities can open up for me.”
| Season | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 2023/24 | 7 | 1 | 2 |
| 2024/25 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
Cortes has been criticised at Rangers as injury worries and a lack of consistent game time have severely damaged his career in the last few seasons.
However, former Gers boss Clement spoke highly of Cortes in February 2024, and said: “It’s clear already from the first training session that he can help us with achieving our goals.
“It’s good that our recruitment team knew him already for a long time, and they said he would fit in the squad.”
Clement could not have been more wrong about the 22-year-old, and Rangers must surely cut their losses on one of the worst signings in their history.
The transfer does represent a huge waste of money, and it seems staggering that Rangers paid so much for Cortes when he’ll never be a success in Govan.
Oscar Cortes’ Rangers career is undoubtedly over now
Cortes is Rangers’ 10th most expensive signing of all time, and his purchase has definitely taught the 49ers a lesson on how not to negotiate.
Including an obligation to buy clause in the deal for two years in the future was incredibly foolish, and the Bears are quite literally paying the price for the terrible lapse in judgement.
Whether he returns in January or not seems irrelevant, as Danny Rohl will surely not include him in his plans for the remainder of the season.
If Rangers manage to recruit successfully in the next two transfer windows, it’s more or less guaranteed that Cortes will never play another game for the Light Blues again.
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