Nigeria and Rangers defender Leon Balogun has heaped praises on his international and club teammate, Cyriel Dessers, following their recent moves to Glasgow Rangers, Soccernet.ng reports.
Dessers completed his €5 million (approx. 4.3 billion naira) transfer from Serie A’s Cremonese to Rangers on July 6, and Balogun joined six days later, returning to Ibrox after leaving the club last year.
Although Balogun and Dessers have played together for the national team, this marks the first time they will be teammates at the club level.
Balogun has shared his insights on Dessers, describing him as an intelligent and formidable striker.
The 35-year-old defender expressed his admiration for Dessers, hailing him as a remarkably intelligent striker and a force to be reckoned with on the field.
“He is a very relaxed, friendly, and approachable guy. But on the field, he is a nuisance,” Balogun remarked, as per US Times Post, clearly impressed by Dessers’ on-pitch prowess.
“He’s quite strong and difficult to handle for defenders. When I say ‘plague,’ I mean every defender,” Balogun added.
“Cyriel will give you problems and make you work hard. He has already shown that in training.”
Assessing the impact Dessers could make among the Gers faithful, Balogun confidently stated, “If he brings that into the stadium and into the games, I’m pretty sure he’ll quickly find favor with the fans.”
With the departure of Alfredo Morelos, Dessers will be expected to shoulder the bulk of the responsibility of scoring goals in a revamped Gers attack.
Nevertheless, Balogun, in his characteristic unbiased manner, refrained from making direct comparisons with former star striker Morelos, asserting that Dessers’ playing style is distinctive and merits a fresh assessment.
“Cyriel is a different type of player than Morelos. Alfredo has achieved a lot at the club and deserves every compliment for that,” Balogun clarified.
“But nobody is doing Cyriel any favours by asking what kind of striker he is compared to Morelos. Everyone should just start with a clean slate. Check out Dessers and see what he brings to the table,” he added enthusiastically.
Last season, Dessers registered six goals and two assists in 26 Serie A games for Cremonese. With his physical attributes and football intelligence, he is expected to be an exciting addition for Rangers and a source of pleasure for the fans to watch.
