THE WEEKEND PREVIEW: Rangers shouldn't be too hasty to ditch Dessers during upcoming summer of transition

When the shot landed astatine the feet of Cyriel Dessers for the umpteenth clip successful the last seconds of past week’s bonkers brushwood astatine Dens Park, you’d person been hard pushed to find anyone successful the stands oregon watching connected from afar who expected the nett to bulge.

But you cognize what they say: 12th time’s a charm.

Yes, the Nigerian truly did request a twelve attempts to determination connected to a twelve league goals for the play successful an erratic show which perfectly encapsulated his Rangers vocation to date. Brutal and superb successful adjacent measure.

Since his accomplishment successful July 2023, Dessers has celebrated 45 goals implicit a period of appearances successful each competitions. Sure, that fig should beryllium higher, but for a feline who has ne'er been regarded arsenic prolific, that’s not a tally to beryllium sniffed at.

A just fewer of them person travel against top-level absorption too, including the likes of Real Betis, Olympiakos and Manchester United. His decorativeness against the second successful peculiar was exceptional.

His aboriginal onslaught — and wide show — distant to Fenerbahce past period besides helped propel his broadside into the Europa League quarter-finals. Who would stake against him having a large accidental against Athletic Bilbao this week?

So why, then, is determination an acceptance amongst Rangers supporters — and for some, a anticipation — that helium volition beryllium 1 of galore who won’t beryllium astir adjacent season? 

It’s wide expected that Hamza Igamane is the future. Fair enough. The 22-year-old has been a tiny chink of airy successful what’s been different dismal home run for the nine and is surely lone going to get amended arsenic clip goes on.

But that shouldn’t mean Dessers should simply beryllium formed aside. Even arsenic a fig two, helium is worthy holding connected to.

He’s surely a amended enactment than Danilo anyway. The Brazilian was brought successful conscionable a fortnight aft his chap frontman successful a woody worthy astir £5million.

Of course, rotten luck with injuries haven’t helped, but fans are inactive waiting to spot a instrumentality connected that not inconsiderable investment.

Can Rangers truly spend to instrumentality different big-money gamble? Because that’s what it would much than apt necessitate if they privation to marque a important upgrade.

Even if the nine were to currency successful connected their existent fig 9 to bolster the summertime warfare chest, fixed he’s present successful his 30s, helium wouldn’t spell for much. It simply doesn’t marque sense.

This is simply a squad which is successful superior request of an overhaul. Far excessively galore players person proven clip and clip again that they don’t person the vessel to grip the expectations and unit associated with representing 1 of Glasgow’s large two.

Dessers, however, doesn’t autumn into that category.

Say what you similar astir his finishing astatine times, but his mentality can’t beryllium questioned.

Few players get arsenic overmuch flak from the Ibrox faithful than the erstwhile Cremonese man, yet helium ne'er hides. Never crumbles. Never complains.

Even erstwhile ditched for a play successful favour of Igamane earlier this season, Dessers refused to footwear up a fuss, got his caput down and worked his mode backmost into the team. A consummate pro.

It promises to beryllium a large summertime of modulation astatine Ibrox, with changes coming some connected and disconnected the field, not slightest sorting retired a caller manager, but the aboriginal of Dessers shouldn’t beryllium up for debate.

Spiders person sinking feeling

It wasn’t excessively agelong agone that the Queen’s Park players were lapping up the adulation from their tiny set of fans crammed into a country of Ibrox having dumped their hosts retired of the Scottish Cup.

Sebastian Drozd’s fantastic second-half victor volition unrecorded agelong successful the representation of each those who were determination to witnesser it, arsenic volition the heroics of keeper Calum Ferrie astatine the different extremity connected what was 1 of the top days successful the club’s history.

Their imagination campaign, however, is rapidly turning into a nightmare.

Wednesday’s 5-0 thumping astatine the hands of Airdrieonians — conscionable 3 days aft suffering the aforesaid scoreline against Livingston successful the Challenge Cup last — was the latest successful a agelong tally of alarming results which has enactment the nine successful each sorts of trouble.

The sacking of Callum Davidson successful mid-March seemed similar a bizarre determination astatine the time, and it whitethorn extremity up costing them their spot successful the Championship.

Interim manager Steven MacLean has failed to dependable the ship, and their second-tier presumption is present successful superior jeopardy.

They present beryllium conscionable 3 points supra eighth-placed Dunfermline up of today’s travel to promotion-chasing Livi, and 4 up of Hamilton, who presently inhabit the relegation play-off spot.

And with the quality present confirmed that they volition suffer a large sponsorship statement with Willie Haughey’s City Facilities Management astatine the extremity of adjacent play — and with question marks besides lingering implicit the aboriginal of their younker academy and women’s broadside — it’s a concerning clip for each associated with the club