RANGERS COULD REPLACE DESSERS IN MOVE FOR STAR WHO'S "UNPLAYABLE AT TIMES"

It looks to be a summer of change at Ibrox for Glasgow Rangers with head of recruitment Nils Koppen and manager Philippe Clement already hard at work to improve the squad.

The Light Blues have allowed a number of first-team players to move on from the club upon the expiry of their contracts at the end of last month.

John Lundstram, Borna Barisic, Jon McLaughlin, Ryan Jack, and Kemar Roofe were not retained at the end of last season, which cleared space in the squad for fresh talent.

Oscar Cortes has re-joined for a second loan spell, left-back Jefte has joined on a permanent deal, and Clinton Nsiala and Connor Barron have been snapped up with their contracts at AC Milan and Aberdeen respectively expiring this summer.

The Gers are also reportedly closing in on the signing of Hamza Igamane and are in talks with Bayern Munich to sign German winger Yusuf Kabadayi.

They could also be about to cash in on one of their current forwards as Cyriel Dessers has been heavily linked with an exit from Ibrox this month.

Why Rangers could need to replace Cyriel Dessers

The Scottish Sun have recently reported that the Nigeria international is a 'shock' target for Greek giants PAOK as they look to bolster their attack this summer.

In the report, it was stated that he is wanted by the Super League outfit and added that reports in his homeland have claimed that he has handed in a transfer request in an attempt to push a move over the line.

Greek outlet Nova Sports, via the Daily Mail, recently reported that PAOK are in 'advanced' talks over a deal to sign the former Cremonese centre-forward.

That outlet also added that Dessers is happy with the financial package on offer from the Greek side but they are yet to agree a transfer fee with Rangers, and it remains to be seen how much the club would want for him.

Clement could sanction the sale and replace him by working with Koppen to seal a deal for one of the Scottish giants' reported transfer targets this summer.

The Athletic recently named Rangers as one of the teams in the running to sign Motherwell sensation Theo Bair after his impressive year in the Scottish Premiership.

It was claimed that the Gers and Celtic are both keeping tabs on the Canada international, alongside teams from Germany, but did not reveal how likely a transfer is for him ahead of next season.

Why Rangers should cash in on Cyriel Dessers

Rangers should not be reluctant to cash in on the experienced forward if there is decent money on the table for him as he is heading into the latter stages of his career and struggled in front of goal last term.

The 29-year-old, who turns 30 in December, is not a young player with potential whose value could soar over the years to come, which means that they may not get many better chances to recoup a fee for him amid this interest from PAOK.

It would also provide the club with an opportunity to replace him with a better option at the top end of the pitch next season, after his wasteful performances in the Premiership.

As you can see in the table above, Dessers significantly underperformed his expected tally with 16 league goals from an xG of 21.59 last term.

No other player in the squad underperformed by more than Goldson's minus 2.81, which illustrates just how poor the striker's finishing was to end with 5.59 fewer goals than expected.

His age and his lack of quality in the final third are key factors behind why cashing in on him this summer could make a lot of sense for the Scottish giants.

It could also be a good move when you consider that his exit would free up a space in the squad for Clement and Koppen to bring in a new starting number nine, who could improve the team by bringing more goals to the side in the 2024/25 campaign.

Why Rangers should sign Theo Bair

Rangers could brilliantly replace Dessers by securing a deal to sign Bair from Motherwell after his goalscoring exploits in the Premiership last season.

The Canada international, who is currently competing at the Copa America, joined them from St Johnstone last summer and enjoyed a fantastic first year with his new club.

Bair racked up an eye-catching 15 goals and six assists in 31 league starts, better than a goal involvement every other start on average, which earned him a place in the PFA Scotland Team of the Year.

His inclusion in the end-of-season XI speaks to how highly he is rated by his peers and shows that the Light Blues would be signing a proven talent, as he has already showcased his goalscoring quality in the Scottish top-flight.

He made it into the Team of the Year despite scoring fewer goals (15) than Dessers (16) in the division and a deep dive into their respective statistics shows why that was the case.

As you can see in the table above, Bair converted a higher percentage of his chances and missed 16 fewer 'big chances' in the Premiership.

This shows that the 24-year-old star was significantly more efficient with his finishing in the Scottish top-flight, which suggests that he could thrive and improve on his 15-goal tally if provided with the quality of chances that Dessers had in a Rangers shirt last season.

The Canadian whiz, who manager Stuart Kettlewell dubbed "unplayable at times", has shown that he can score goals at an impressive rate, given the volume of chances created for him, in the division.

That is why he could be the perfect replacement for Dessers if the Nigerian forward moves to PAOK, particularly when you consider that Bair is five years younger and has room to improve further.

2024-06-28T05:17:40Z dg43tfdfdgfd