Pundit opinion: Star striker desired to join the Rangers, and Clement attempted to sign him once more

Derek Ferguson claims that Brighton has retaliated against Rangers by striking an agreement with Brest for Abdallah Sima in advance of the deadline.

Although it was not feasible to afford the Senegalese forward earlier in the transfer window, Philippe Clement acknowledged that he wanted to bring him back to Ibrox this season [Rangers Review, 15 July].

After communicating with the attacker, the Belgian thought a deal might be possible later in the summer. However, he has now completed an official loan move to Ligue 1, which comes without a buyout option [Foot Mercato, 20 August].

Ferguson is frustrated that he hasn’t been able to rejoin Rangers, but he thinks Brighton is trying to increase his visibility in a wider market.

In an interview with Ibrox News only, he stated: “Yeah, but I think that’s Brighton pulling rank.” Sima would have been thrilled to be playing for Rangers again in Scotland.

“The supporters adore him. I find him genuinely endearing. He has produced and scored goals during his playing career.

However, Brighton has a player that they most likely want to let go of and receive some cash for.

“So, he moved to what is likely a better league—well, that league is better—over there. He will play football in the Champions League. They must take care of their own needs.

Would he have preferred to be up here, Sima? Yes. Would the manager have cherished having him play for the Rangers? Naturally. He has said very nice things about him.

However, I believe that’s just Brighton pulling rank and trying to get the best deal possible for a player who will be entering the final year of his contract [upon his return] and needs to try and get paid a little bit of money.

Brighton star not signed by Rangers after confirmed departure from Brest

Given that Sima made multiple indications of wanting to return to Glasgow during his 16-goal season with the Light Blues, it isn’t wishful thinking to assume he would have made that decision.

The 23-year-old then posted a message on Instagram on August 23, thanking the supporters and his manager at Ibrox, suggesting that he was still considering a return until his France switch was officially announced.

If he hadn’t planned on returning, the letter probably would have arrived months ago when his first loan expired.

Sima and Clement will therefore be disappointed by the confirmed Brest deal, especially given that Oscar Cortes sustained an injury not long after taking his place for the second time.

View: Rangers projected starting lineup vs. Ross Co.: Clement to bench three players, exit-linked ace to start

When Philippe Clement’s Rangers team plays Ross County in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday, August 24, he is anticipated to make four changes.

Following their goal-scoring cameos against St Johnstone last weekend, Cyriel Dessers and Ross McCausland are anticipated to return to the starting lineup, along with Connor Barron and Leon Balogun.

After suffering an injury in the Scottish League Cup match, Robin Propper is the biggest doubt to play, with Kieran Dowell, Rabbi Matondo, and Danilo all likely to be left off of Clement’s starting lineup.

Before facing Ross County, Philippe Clement needs to get the Rangers lineup just right.

At Hampden on Saturday, Clement cannot afford to make a mistake in his selection, and the Belgian custodian Jack Butland, who is currently ranked first, provides him with a strong platform on which to build.

After suffering an injury against St Johnstone, Clement would be prudent to avoid taking a chance on Propper in this game. As a result, Balogun, along with John Souttar in central defence, should start in place of the Dutchman.

Due to injuries and a lack of alternatives, the defense’s flanks choose themselves. After receiving a controversial red card against Dynamo Kyiv, Jefte played the entire ninety minutes against Saints and is still on the left side.

Despite rumours of a move elsewhere, Captain James Tavernier is also a clear choice on the right [TEAMtalk, July 19]. Dujon Sterling is expected to continue playing a utility role in midfield for the team.

The absence of an obvious number six and number ten for the Gers leaves Clement in need of versatile options, and Barron is expected to replace the unimpressive Dowell.

Since his £4.3 million transfer from Nordsjaelland was finalised over the summer, Mohamed Diomande has been a constant. He will probably start alongside Barron and Sterling as the most advanced midfield player.

Vaclav Cerny has had a great start to his Glasgow career. He will continue to play on the right even though McCausland replaces him against Saints; minutes later, the young player makes it 2-0.

Although McCausland has earned a start, it will probably come in place of Rabbi Matondo, who is linked to the exit, on the left rather than the right, so that Clement can take advantage of both Cerny’s and his speed out wide.

The most accurate change the Belgian will make up front is to add top scorer Cyriel Dessers back into the lineup. Dessers replaced Danilo on the bench during halftime against St Johnstone.

Although Danilo’s first start of the season after an injury is encouraging, Clement only needs to look to Dessers as his number nine if the Gers are to stay competitive.

Frustrated Rangers player posts a defiant message on Instagram as he strives to become his best again

Please pardon Rangers supporters for feeling uneasy about Brazilian forward Danilo.

The 25-year-old striker has spent the better part of nine months recovering from a serious injury that kept him out of competition.

That’s not precisely what the former Feyenoord striker would have expected following his £6 million summer transfer to Rangers.

Going back to the Ibrox fold in the Premier Sports Cup victory over St Johnstone, it’s possible that the optimism surrounding Danilo’s recuperation was lost amidst the Govan situation.

However, the striker’s medical history, which dates back to a horrific facial injury he suffered against the same opponents the previous season, guarantees that the club’s support isn’t ready to get out of hand.

Danilo has now asked for patience as the devout hitman reiterates his resolve to return to his peak performance by quoting a Bible passage.

Danilo asks for endurance after the Rangers’ comeback.

Danilo may have scored a hat-trick in the first half of the match against the Perthshire club, but there was enough to suggest the striker will get opportunities at Rangers.

The Rangers have the backing of some of the harshest football judges, but the jury will not be out until the Brazilian starts turning away opportunities.

Danilo, unfazed and ever the defiant one, has taken to social media to remind the Rangers supporters to be patient with him while he returns to full fitness.

Romans 8:25, which is cited in the post, states that we must wait patiently for what we hope for in order to obtain it.

 

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A post shared by Danilo Pereira (@danilo_pereira)

Could a Brazilian striker make a difference at Ibrox?

Since the striker has never been healthy enough to truly have an impact on the team, Danilo is somewhat of a forgotten quantity at Rangers.

But the striker did show glimpses of his potential before that serious injury suffered against Hearts in December, which is why Rangers paid such a high price for the hitman.

With 21 appearances (ten starts) and six goals and five assists, Danilo was scoring for the Gers approximately every 166 minutes prior to the injury.

In the coming weeks, Rangers supporters will be hoping to witness the best of the Brazilian, and there is reason for optimism regarding the forward.

Danilo has already demonstrated incredible mental toughness by recovering from his injury and joining the starting lineup.

The next task is to go back to playing at his peak and show Rangers’ supporters that he can make a difference even though they are still not convinced.

Report: Rangers are “open to five sales” in order to finance the final details of their summer rebuild

Rangers will need to sell before they can buy during this transfer window, as Philippe Clement has stated time and time again.

The Belgian manager has occasionally presented a frustrated image while trying to turn around his Ibrox squad on a tight budget, spending every dollar like a prisoner in Govan.

Speaking over the weekend, Clement reiterated that before Rangers can focus on any other targets, they must release players from the team.

The issue is that Clement “cannot hold a gun” to the heads of the players who have been told they can leave the Rangers, as he himself stated.

Leading Scottish football writer Chris Jack has now asserted that Rangers are prepared to let go of at least five players this summer.

Rangers are “open to five departures.”

Chris Jack has been writing about the Rangers team’s exits and the current status of play in the Rangers Review.

Jack mentions five players as being for sale while talking about the tectonic transfer plates that need to move under Ibrox before the team can afford to sign any new players.

First on the list is international playmaker Ioanis Hagi of Romania, who was informed at the start of the summer that Clement had no plans for him.

It has been suggested that the Rangers could sell Hagi for nothing in order to clear space on the wage bill. Hagi spent the previous season on loan at Alavés in La Liga.

Hagi is still competing for the Rangers B team, but it’s still unclear how close the Euro 2024 player is to working out a deal to leave Ibrox.

Todd Cantwell, the English playmaker who has expressed his desire to move on this summer, is also mentioned.

Supporters of the Rangers will be hoping that occurs sooner rather than later.

The other three individuals that Chris Jack brought up are Scott Wright, Ben Davies, and Rabbi Matondo.

Links between Leeds United and Rabbi Matondo were scuttled as soon as they surfaced, and Ben Davies is, in terms of value, among the worst signings in Rangers history.

Despite being a homegrown talent on the team, Scott Wright is in the last year of his contract and has been “offered” several times to play in the lower leagues in England.

Rangers’ window for transfers is still open.

The fact that these five players might still depart Rangers before the transfer window closes demonstrates the extent of this summer’s changes at Ibrox.

Additionally, the severity of the team’s recent season-long deficiencies.

Rangers’ finances have been chronically mismanaged, and the team’s transfer market activities are still under intense scrutiny.

Rangers great Ally McCoist says he is “truly devastated” by the situation the Ibrox team is in this summer.

Numerous previously important first-team players, such as Ryan Jack, Borna Barisic, Connor Goldson, John Lundstram, and Kemar Roofe, have already been let go by the Rangers.

Rangers fans have been waiting a long time for this transformative summer as they try to rise above the disappointments of the past few seasons.

Hopefully, we can get these guys out of the team so that we can sign players that Clement has identified in advance of the upcoming season.

Pundit says it “would not surprise you” if Rangers allow a last-minute exit for a Clement regular

Rangers can’t sell James Tavernier right now, but Leanne Crichton thinks the Light Blues would let him go if a last-minute offer came in.

There has been a lot of talk about the Gers captain during the summer transfer window. Reports say Trabzonspor have made several attempts to sign him [Rangers Review, 23 July].

The English player has been a regular in Philippe Clement’s team so far this season, but Go Radio host Crichton thinks the Ibrox board would be swayed by the money his departure could bring in.

She said on The Go Radio Football Show (August 15, 1:04:20): “For example, the talk about James Tavernier has gone pretty quiet.”

“There was a lot of talk about whether he would leave or not. Imagine if Rangers also sold James Tavernier before the end of the transfer window?

“At a time when the players on the pitch aren’t quite good enough and the players on the bench aren’t fit and available, the players who are out don’t look like they’ll be back any time soon, and then there’s James Tavernier, who’s always fit, always available and always on the teamsheet.”

“It’s likely to happen because that’s the kind of choice that wouldn’t surprise rangers right now.” There’s no way they can sell him, but they might if they could get the money for the club.

Will James Tavernier leave Rangers amid rumours of a move to Ibrox?

Even the most pessimistic Rangers fans will agree that Clement can’t afford to lose the Englishman at this point in the window. Fans have been split on Tavernier for a while now.

The current Gers team lacks depth and quality, and they won’t be able to close the gap on Celtic at the top of the table unless more players are added before the second-to-last day of the transfer window.

Rangers manager Philippe Clement

Some people will say that Tavernier is part of the problem and call him a serial loser, but he is one of the few players on Clement’s team who is always healthy and ready to play.

He’s not the same player he was five years ago, but he still scores goals regularly, and his delivery from set pieces is dangerous.

It would have been easy to stop his sale earlier in the summer, but now it is a risk that doesn’t need to be taken. We hope that the Light Blues’ board doesn’t make a choice that they will later regret.

Leeds to sign Rangers attacker – report

Rabbi Matondo, a winger for Rangers, is reportedly wanted by Leeds United, per Football Scotland.

According to the news source, Daniel Farke has expressed “strong” interest in moving permanently or in taking out a first loan with a buyout option as of August 15.

According to rumours, Matondo plans to depart Ibrox before the August 30 deadline, following in the footsteps of players like Todd Cantwell and Ianis Hagi.

Rabbi Matondo ready to move to Leeds United

Leeds United’s season has clearly gotten off to a difficult start.

They not only lost to Middlesbrough 3-0 in the EFL Cup, but they also only managed a late draw with Portsmouth on the first day of play.

That’s not the best start for a team that is expected to win the league.

Additionally, on August 17, they have a difficult matchup with West Brom coming up.

Although it would always be difficult to recover from Crysencio Summerville and Archie Gray’s departures, Farke believes that the most crucial thing to do is to avoid making rash purchases.

For the Rangers in 19 league games last season, Matondo recorded three assists and five goals (FBref). Even though those are some encouraging numbers, the 23-year-old hasn’t exactly made waves in the world.

Farke can change him into a dynamic attacking lineup, but it will require time, which he might not have at this moment.

Considered worse than Lawrence: Clement needs to mercilessly cut loose the 4/10 Rangers dud following their CL no-show

The Champions League group stages of this season will not feature Glasgow Rangers, as they were defeated 2-0 by Dynamo Kyiv on Tuesday night.

After a 1-1 draw in the first leg last week, the Ibrox giants, who had to play at Hampden Park, lost 3-1 on aggregate after giving up two goals in the 82nd and 83rd minutes of play.

Now, Philippe Clement’s team must try their luck in the Europa League before returning home to take on St. Johnstone in the League Cup this coming weekend.

After his team’s dismal performance in Europe, the Belgian manager must make some decisions. One player who has to be mercilessly dropped from the starting lineup is Ross McCausland.

The Tuesday struggles of Ross McCausland

With Jefte on the left, Tom Lawrence at number ten, and Cyriel Dessers leading the line, the Northern Ireland international was chosen to start for Rangers on the right flank.

Clement’s choice came as a surprise because the academy graduate had been ineffectual in the first leg as a starter, recording 0 goals and 0 assists, and had been benched for the Scottish Premiership victory over Motherwell.

Far worse than Lawrence, the 21-year-old forward failed to justify his spot on the squad. Derek McGregor of the Scottish Sun gave the Welshman a 5/10 player rating, praising his teasing ball into the box before the midfielder lost steam later in the match.

The fact that Clement left the former Derby County player in the game until the 85th minute suggests that, for the most part, he was satisfied with his performance.

Conversely, McCausland had a fruitless first half and was hauled off at halftime. The manager’s decision to substitute the winger at halftime implies that he too thought the performance was lacklustre. The aforementioned McGregor gave the winger a miserable match rating of 4/10.

Instead, Clement, the player, needs to unleash

Following his lack of performance in the Champions League, Clement will now have to mercilessly remove the Northern Irishman from the starting lineup. In his three appearances as a winger, including two starts, he has failed to score or provide an assist.

Vaclav Cerny, on loan from Wolfsburg, has the ability to have a bigger impact in the final third from a right wing position, so the former Monaco manager needs to get him back into the lineup.

The Czech international has had a great start to life in the Premiership this season, as the table above shows; the same cannot be said of McCausland.

It was unexpected to see the 26-year-old star left out of the starting lineup at Hampden Park after he produced a stunning assist for Dessers with an amazing inswinging cross in the first leg against Dynamo Kyiv.

After struggling and outperforming Lawrence on Tuesday night, McCausland ought to be cut from the squad to make room for Cerny.

Big match verdict: empty seats at Hampden indicate apathy on the part of Rangers fans, and things have just gotten much worse

The city did not experience the Ibrox atmosphere as the Light Blues were eliminated from the Champions League.

a sound barrier. When Dynamo Kyiv last visited Glasgow to play Rangers, that’s what they encountered. The Ibrox punters who were there probably still have it ringing in their ears almost forty years later.

The sound was overwhelming. And generally acknowledged as one of the best stadium atmospheres ever experienced, if not THE best. It’s unbeatable for devotees of a particular vintage. The triumph over RB Leipzig on the way to the Europa League Final two years ago will be cited by the younger generation. Or the legendary victory over Parma in 1999, when big Tony Vidmar had the crowd in stitches.

However, no. When asked about the loudest roar they have ever heard while watching Rangers, many people will cite Dynamo Kyiv on September 30, 1987. That night, there were astonishingly just 44,500 in the ground. The guests, however, were unable to hear themselves think. Neither could Graeme Souness or his team in a thrilling second-leg European Cup match.

The audience contributed in that way. Against all the odds, the Rangers defeated the Dynamo team, winning 2-1 overall. Keep in mind, that team was full of USSR superstars. It was therefore hard to avoid drawing comparisons when they appeared in Glasgow’s south side last night. Here in the main stand stood Alexei Mickhailichenko, who had played for both clubs as well as Dynamo in the past.

But there’s no denying that things have changed. To begin with, the Rangers aren’t actually at Ibrox. Furthermore, the atmosphere of the recollections of ’87 was always going to be in stark contrast. Last night, Hampden was not even half full. Their brief, pre-season jaunt was bound to turn off some fans. Not to mention the customary expenses.

But what was really noticeable was how many seats were empty in the old Celtic end. Does it go beyond that? Is this fan base becoming more and more apathetic? Who can blame them if there is, considering the Ibrox debacle, a lack of transfer funds, a glaringly unbalanced and untalented squad, and an overall lack of clarity regarding the club’s true direction?

And what about last night’s noise? It never came close to matching the volume of Kyiv’s previous visit here. The teams did not make the sound of an aeroplane taking off when they came out of the Hampden tunnel. The muted cheers of the fans were drowned out by Simply the Best. In contrast to 1987, the players were responsible for igniting the crowd rather than the other way around.

There was a quiet hush over Hampden after the opening song from the home end. The players could be heard yelling at one another. Barely a second passed thirty-seven years ago without a clatter of some kind.

Even now, when you see Mark Falco score the first goal by taking advantage of a mistake made by the Kyiv keeper, you’ll get a tingling sensation in the back of your neck. And the roof fell when Ally McCoist met a cross from Trevor Francis at the Copland Road end, tricking and confusing the goalie with his header. Very tingling in the spine.

One more recollection from that Dynamo match is Souness’s fly strategies prior to the ball being kicked. Recall how he told his ground crew to close in the lines and narrow the Ibrox pitch in an effort to neutralise Kyiv’s dangerous wingers?

The way the Rangers used that move to exhaust their opponents was quite effective. Strangely enough, last night the punters were clamouring for Vaclav Cerny, the Czech wide player, to provide them some width. However, the atmosphere was further deflated when Philippe Clement chose to start him on the bench. Gers’ doctors reportedly told the Belgian that there would be too great a risk.

Rangers’ Jefte rues a missed chance

If that’s the case, though, how come Cerny, who had been tearing Motherwell to pieces over the weekend, was fired after just 55 minutes? To the delight of the home support, he was eventually introduced at halftime.

And after Jefte’s absurdly harsh red card, they finally raised their voices and stood up in 53 minutes, expressing their sheer frustration and defiance. They stood up once more after James Tavernier won a corner, and Clement motioned for them to stand up with his arms.

They were definitely needed by their team. However, they were unable to stop Dynamo from scoring twice in the latter stages of the game to send Rangers reeling. The farewell had a significant effect. However, in the clear, their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League have been dashed before the play-off phase.

The mood was set in 1987 when Souness and his team believed they could win the European Cup heading into their match against Kyiv. It was an optimistic support for the Rangers. Now? Simply put, that is untrue. Actually, it’s the exact opposite. The events of this summer at Ibrox have only added to the pessimism of the punters. And the outcome from last night made it much worse.