“Mind-blowingly bad” Rangers flop even makes Dessers look amazing
Glasgow Rangers were hit hard by their outgoings in the summer transfer window, as they lost a lot of attacking quality from their side ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.
Vaclav Cerny returned to Wolfsburg, before signing for Besiktas on a permanent deal, after his loan spell last term, whilst Hamza Igamane was sold to Lille for £10.4m.
Igamane delivered 12 goals in the Scottish Premiership, per Sofascore, whilst Cerny racked up 12 goals and four assists playing on the right flank for the Gers.
Centre-forward Cyriel Dessers was also sold to Panathinaikos, just a few weeks after playing against them for Rangers, and his absence has also been felt.
Why Cyriel Dessers was underrated at Rangers
Strikers who miss a lot of opportunities will naturally draw frustration from the stands because fans, obviously, want to see their team score. Missing big chances consistently will, therefore, not endear you to a fanbase.
Per Sofascore, Dessers missed a staggering 59 ‘big chances’ to score in his two full seasons at Ibrox. He was far too wasteful with the chances that came his way, which is why it was understandable that he was hardly a fan favourite, and understandable as to why they sold him in the summer.
However, the frustration borne out of those misses perhaps made him underrated, because the experienced frontman also scored 52 goals in 116 games for the Gers, per Transfermarkt, which is far from a horrendous return.
Whether you were a fan of his or not, there is no denying that Dessers was a constant threat because of his exceptional movement and positioning in the box that created so many chances.
Something that may make supporters look back and appreciate the Nigeria international even more is just how poor Youssef Chermiti has been for the Gers this season.
How Chermiti makes Dessers look amazing
The Scottish giants swooped to sign the Portugal U21 international from Everton for a fee of £8m in the summer transfer window, in an attempt to replace Dessers.
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On current evidence, former Rangers sporting director Kevin Thelwell did a horrible job of replacing the 52-goal striker, because Chermiti has been a huge flop so far.
The 21-year-old striker has simply failed to offer much of a threat at the top end of the pitch for the Light Blues this season, with one goal and one assist in 18 appearances in all competitions, per Transfermarkt.
It is not just his finishing that has hampered his start to life at Ibrox, though, because he has only missed five ‘big chances’, per Sofascore, and only missed one ‘big chance’ in ten outings in the Premiership.
This suggests that he has struggled with his movement in and around the box, as well as with his finishing, because he is not generating anywhere near as much in front of goal as Dessers did during his time at the club.
Premiership per 90
Dessers (24/25)
Chermiti (25/26)
xG
0.74
0.29
Goals
0.77
0.26
xG on target
0.80
0.40
Shots on target
1.79
1.55
Chances created
1.02
1.03
xA
0.04
0.05
Stats via FotMob
As you can see in the table above, the Nigerian striker averaged more than twice as much xG per 90 as Chermiti has managed this season for Rangers in the Premiership.
These statistics make Dessers look like an amazing goalscorer in comparison to the £8m summer signing, because he was a prolific striker who just missed too many ‘big chances’ to make him a reliable player.
Chermiti, though, has not provided any sort of genuine threat in front of goal for the Scottish giants, with big misses or goals, which is why supporters may look back on Dessers’ time at Ibrox a little more favourably now.
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Journalist Jonny McFarlane described Chermiti as a “mind-blowingly bad” signing who “offers nothing”, and it is hard to disagree with that assessment when you look at his output this season.
A return of one goal by the end of December after being signed for £8m as a striker is simply not good enough, particularly when you compare it to what Dessers provided on the pitch for the Gers.
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It would be interesting to know how many Rangers fans would gladly swap Dessers for Chermiti at the moment, given how poor the former Everton man has been this season.
However, the 21-year-old is still in the infancy of his Gers career and, hopefully, will be able to turn his form around and prove that he was worth spending £8m on.