Youssef Chermiti quietly leads the SPL in goalscoring stat as context for Rangers ace needed
Youssef Chermiti has been a much-maligned figure at Ibrox, but he is quietly having a solid season for Rangers.
After failing to build on his brilliant brace against Celtic on 1 March, Chermiti bagged a crucial double in Rangers’ 6-3 comeback win at Falkirk on Sunday.
The 6ft 4in forward took his personal tally to 11 goals and three assists in 25 Scottish Premiership games in his first season at the Ibrox outfit.
Chermiti has developed a habit of scoring in big league matches this season, while failing to fire against sides further down the division.
But ahead of Rangers taking on Motherwell after the upcoming break, Chermiti may be starting to justify his £8million fee following his summer switch from Everton.
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Youssef Chermiti has a lot of potential
Chermiti’s 11-goal return in the league looks better in comparison to his season as a whole. Indeed, the 21-year-old failed to score in 11 outings in the Europa League, Scottish Cup, and Scottish League Cup.
Ergo, 11 goals in 36 matches does not make for as pleasant viewing for the Portugal Under-21 international, who had a Sofascore rating of 9.2 against Falkirk and scored twice from an Expected Goals tally of 1.23.
| Youssef Chermiti’s puzzling season | |
| Goals against Hearts and Celtic | Eight |
| Goals against rest of Scottish Premiership | Three |
Danny Rohl hasn’t consistently been able to get a tune out of the young striker, who has twice bagged braces against Celtic and a hat-trick against Hearts. During his time at Everton, he played 24 games, making two starts, and failed to score a goal following his £11.5m move from Sporting CP in 2023.
But he did have lengthy spells on the sidelines due to foot and hamstring injuries. So, it could be argued that this season is his first full campaign in senior football, and he needs time to adjust.
As per Footy Stats, his xG tally is 11.48. Despite Motherwell’s Tawanda Maswanhise (17), Celtic’s Benjamin Nygren (15), and Hearts’ Claudio Braga (14) and Lawrence Shankland (13) all outscoring him, Chermiti edges them in one stat.
For players who have racked up 20 games or more, Chermiti has the best minutes per goal ratio in the league at 138.
Hibernian’s Elie Youan’s ratio is at 132, but he has played just 17 times and scored five goals.
Chermiti’s goal conversion rate (19 per cent) is ahead of Shankland and Braga, but Maswanhise and Nygren have the edge on him there. Overall, there are a lot of positives to take from this campaign.
Danny Rohl turns season around for Rangers
Rangers’ victory at Falkirk highlights just how far they have come since Rohl took over in October.
His predecessor, Russell Martin, had to get a police escort out of Falkirk Stadium after a draw with The Bairns, a result that cost him his job.
The Gers were 13 points behind leaders Hearts and sat eighth in the table when Rohl was sworn in. Fast forward to the present, and the German has overseen a remarkable turnaround.
Heading into the post-split fixtures, they are two points ahead of rivals Celtic and one adrift of table-toppers Hearts.
With Rohl in charge, Rangers fans can start to believe of a first league title since 2021.
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