There is still well over a month left before the end of the summer transfer window and it remains to be seen whether or not Cyriel Dessers will still be a Glasgow Rangers player when it slams shut.
Russell Martin confirmed that the club rejected an offer from a club for the Nigeria international earlier this month, and he has been linked with a move to Greek side AEK Athens.
The 30-year-old striker has scored 34 goals in two seasons in the Scottish Premiership for the Light Blues, but the experienced forward has also missed a whopping 47 ‘big chances’ in that time.
If Dessers moves on from Ibrox this summer, whether that is to AEK Athens or another club, Rangers will need a new striker to potentially lead the line.
Rangers considering move for free agent centre-forward
Despite the Nigerian forward still being at the club, as well as Danilo and Hamza Igamane, the Scottish giants are reportedly looking at another experienced number nine signing.
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According to Football Insider, Rangers are considering a swoop to sign out-of-contract centre-forward Luuk De Jong, who moved on from PSV at the end of last month.
The report claims that the Gers are giving serious ‘consideration’ to the possibility of a deal for the 34-year-old attacker, as they weigh up the kind of contract that they would be willing to put on the table for the free agent.
Speaking to Football Insider, scout Mick Brown added that it would be an “ambitious” signing for the Light Blues, as they would be bringing in a “proven player”.
However, it now remains to be seen whether or not the Premiership side are going to press ahead with a deal for the striker, as they are currently only considering a move.
Why Rangers should sign Luuk De Jong
If Rangers have the opportunity to snap De Jong up on a one or two-year contract to bolster their centre-forward options, Martin and Kevin Thelwell must push for a move to go through because he would come in as an upgrade on Dessers.
De Jong’s experience in Europe could be particularly useful for Rangers if they make it through their second qualifying round against Panathinaikos, which he would not be eligible for were he to sign in the coming days, as he has scored eight goals and provided seven assists in 16 Champions League qualifiers in his career.
Meanwhile, Dessers has scored three goals in eight Champions League qualifiers in his career, which suggests that the Dutchman may have a greater chance of helping Rangers to qualify for the league phase.
De Jong’s form for PSV in the Eredivisie over the past two seasons also suggests that he would offer more to Martin at the top end of the pitch at league level than the Nigerian forward.
| Last 2 seasons | De Jong (Eredivisie) | Dessers (Premiership) |
|---|---|---|
| Appearances | 65 | 70 |
| Goals | 43 | 34 |
| Headed goals | 14 | 6 |
| Big chances created | 34 | 10 |
| Assists | 23 | 6 |
| Duel success rate | 54% | 33% |
| Aerial duels won per game | 4.3 | 0.9 |
| Stats via Sofascore | ||
As you can see in the table above, the 34-year-old scored nine more goals and delivered 17 more assists than Dessers, despite playing five fewer league games, which speaks to the kind of quality that he can offer in front of goal.
Former Dutch international and ex-PSV manager Mark Van Bommel described him as one of the best three players in Europe at scoring headers and claimed that the striker “always delivers”, which is hard to disagree with when you look at his output.
Overall, the potential is there for De Jong to be an upgrade on Dessers as a scorer and a creator of goals at league level, whilst also having more experience in the Champions League and in qualifiers, which could improve the club’s chances of making it through to the league phase.
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Therefore, Rangers should be pushing to get a deal for the former PSV star over the line because he could come in as a proven striker who has the quality to be an upgrade on Dessers, as a goalscorer, a creator, a Champions League performer, and an aerial presence in the number nine position.
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