Speculation has cooled down little surrounding one of Rangers’ most in-form players, but anything is conceivable until the market officially closes on Monday evening.
At the start of 2025, a departure appeared to be, if not inevitable, then at least a possibility.
Rangers began early discussions over the sale of Cyriel Dessers three weeks ago. And, after losing his place to Hamza Igamane, Dessers expressed worry about his future, stating that he needed to have open discussions with the Ibrox management.
Football is a fun and unpredictable game.
Rangers’ number nine has gone from first to third choice in the blink of an eye and is now ascending the ladder again. All of the frustration has been swept away.
Dessers was exceptional against Union Saint Gilloise in the Europa League on Thursday night, and as a result, he received something he had not had in months. A second consecutive Gers start.
Does this imply that the door has been closed, under lock and key, ahead of Monday’s deadline?
Cagliari remove Cyriel Dessers’ impediment, but Rangers stay appears certain.
Atlanta United turned their attention to Middlesbrough’s Emmanuel Latte Lath. St Etienne decided to investigate younger alternatives. Leganes and Empoli connections were never fully developed.
The most likely destination throughout the window appears to have been Serie A club Cagliari.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Cagliari’s ‘primary goal’ is Cyriel Dessers. However, due to the price associated with signing a player for whom Rangers paid £4.5 million only a year and a half ago, the source claimed that Dessers would only wind up in Sardinia provided Cagliari first found a way to remove Gianluca Lapadula off the books.
And find a way they can, even if it’s too late in the day to make a significant difference.
Lapadula, a senior former AC Milan forward, joined second-tier Spezia on Friday. That is one key impediment removed for Cagliari. The 34-year-old Peruvian international was reputedly their greatest earning at £40,000 per week.
But Rangers will be in no rush to let Dessers go, you would assume, considering the lack of time they will have to recruit a replacement. If Lapadula had been transferred out of the Unipol Domus a week or two earlier, perhaps a settlement could have been reached.
Now? It’s safe to say that Cagliari does not have time on their side.
Barry Ferguson applauds Desser’s comeback following Europa League masterclass.
Interestingly, current sources suggest that Cagliari may have shifted their focus to Torino target Antonio Sanabria instead. Is this a sign of acceptance, a team turning elsewhere knowing that Cyriel Dessers’ Rangers tale has a few chapters yet to be written?
Ibrox icon According to Barry Ferguson, Dessers has rarely played better in Rangers colours. The 30-year-old failed to score for the seventh time in a row against Union Saint Gilloise, but his spellbinding assist for Vaclav Cerny’s winning goal was worth the admission alone.
“Cyriel Dessers put in one of, if not his best ever, performances in a blue jersey up front,” Ferguson told the Daily Record following Rangers’ triumph, which advanced them to the Europa League last-16.
“It was a true team performance from a squad stripped down to its bare bones, and they got the win they needed, which, combined with some help from elsewhere, secured their place in the top eight.”
“Dessers has undoubtedly hit a purple patch of form. He had six goals in his previous four games, but Thursday night was the best I’ve seen him perform outside the box.
“His hold-up and link play was immaculate and his assist for Cerny’s winner deserves huge praise.
