Glasgow Rangers Premiership title hopes went up in flames on Boxing Day as they suffered their fourth league defeat of the season against St Mirren, conceding a late goal to lose 2-1.
If the pressure on Philippe Clement was easing up after several weeks of solid performances, then this defeat puts him right back at square one. Matches against Motherwell and Celtic are coming up over the next six days and more dropped points could see his position become untenable.
While thoughts are on these games, surely one eye is focused on the upcoming January transfer window, which gives the Ibrox side a chance to bolster their squad ahead of the second half of the season.
Much will depend on how much of a budget the manager will be handed once the winter window opens next week, and he might have to sell a couple of players in order to raise significant funds.
This could see several players leave Ibrox, with one current first team player already attracting interest ahead of January – Cyriel Dessers.
Why Rangers should finally sell Cyriel Dessers
Unfortunately, Rangers are now in a position where they have to sell players before thinking of making signings, such is the nature of their finances.
Hopefully, Clement is ruthless and moves on those who are either taking up a place in the squad that isn’t warranted, or earning a lavish wage which is not representative of their performances on the field.
This could see a host of players depart the club next month, but it is Dessers who is the one attracting the most attention as of late.
Before Christmas, news emerged from France that Saint-Étienne were showing a keen interest in the striker ahead of making a potential move for the player once the window finally opens.
This wasn’t the first time that the Nigerian international had drawn interest from elsewhere. During the summer transfer window, Cagliari were hoping to bring the forward to Serie A, but no move ever materialised.
Things might have been different if Clement had more centre-forwards in his squad, but with Danilo still recovering from a knee injury and Hamza Igamane still settling in at Ibrox, it was perhaps too risky to sell Dessers.
January could be the ideal time for the club to recoup what they paid for him 18 months ago, especially as he hasn’t been the first choice over the previous few weeks.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
Across 28 games in all competitions for the Gers, Dessers has found the back of the net on 12 occasions, yet he has scored just three league goals since the start of September.
Recently, Danilo and Igamane have taken turns being deployed as the lone striker in Clement’s 4-2-3-1 system, meaning Dessers has had to settle for a place on the bench.
Metric
2023/24
2024/25
Goals
16
6
Assists
4
2
Big chances missed
27
6
Big chances created
8
2
Shots per game
2.9
1.7
Additionally, the striker is also earning £27k-per-week, which places him among the highest earners at the club.
All of these factors should be taken into consideration with regard to his future. Is he contributing enough considering his high wage? The answer is no. Therefore, if a decent bid arrives, then the Light Blues should accept it.
This could free up funds for Clement to move for a player they have been linked with lately who is currently shining in South Africa…
Rangers' search for a striker
As reported by South African news outlet SNL24 (via the Scottish Sun), the Light Blues have been keeping a close eye on striker Iqraam Rayners, who currently plays for Mamelodi Sundowns.
“There has been an enquiry about Iqraam (Rayners) from Rangers of Scotland,” a source told SNL24.
“I don’t think there has been an offer from them at this stage. What I know is they have shown interest and they continue monitoring him.”
There is no information on how much Rangers would have to pay to bring the South African to Glasgow, but it appears he is doing everything right in order to earn a big move abroad.
If a move for Rayners is concrete, this could see Dessers finally packing in what would be a popular move among the supporters. That’s for sure.
How Iqraam Rayners compares to Cyriel Dessers
Rayners may be the same age as Dessers, but he is currently in the form of his life for his club side.
Across just 17 matches in all competitions, he has scored 13 goals while chipping in with an assist, a wonderful strike rate in front of goal, that’s for sure.
Indeed, throughout the entirety of 2024, he has notched 24 goals for two clubs, which has led writer Joshua Henricks to hail the player as “impressive” due to his goalscoring ability.
Domestically, Rayners averages 1.7 shots per game, has created one big chance while succeeding with 75% of his dribble attempts. Crucially, he has missed only one big chance, indicating that he is more clinical in front of goal than Dessers, who tends to miss a large number of chances.
The 29-year-old has also shone for his country throughout 2024, scoring four goals in ten games for South Africa, with two coming during qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations as the nation avoided defeat in their group.
This proves that he is able to star on the international stage, suggesting he may not be fazed by moving to Ibrox in January.
With Hamza Igamane making the move to Scotland from Africa earlier this year and adapting fairly well, hopes are high that Rayners, who has more experience than the young Rangers striker, could follow suit.
Once again, finances could be the crux of any potential deal. If interest in Dessers is genuine, then securing a decent fee for the 29-year-old could certainly aid in Clement’s future transfer plans.
Will Rayners be included in this? Only time will tell, but the South African has proven his talents in front of goal throughout the calendar year.
Not just Bajrami: Clement must drop Rangers man who lost 11 duels
Rangers suffered defeat to St Mirren on Boxing Day
1 ByRoss KilvingtonDec 27, 2024