Former Nottingham Forest forward Kris Boyd has warned Rangers against selling Super Eagles Cyriel Dessers amid interest from Greek giants AEK Athens, Soccernet.ng reports.
Dessers has produced decent numbers since joining Rangers from Cremonese two years ago. He has contributed 51 goals and 16 assists in 109 appearances for the Gers.
However, he has been constantly maligned by the fans, as they believe that he misses too many chances. As such, there have been a lot of talks linking him with an exit.
Last summer, it looked like Dessers was set to exit Ibrox. The speculations even dragged up until the start of the season until he confirmed that he was not leaving.
Now that the season is over, the talks have resumed even though Dessers stated that he wanted to stay at Rangers. AEK Athens have been linked with the Super Eagles star, albeit nothing is concrete yet.
Rangers would likely demand a fee in the region of €4 million. But former Scotland international Boyd, who played for clubs like Nottingham Forest, Rangers, and Middlesbrough, believes that Dessers might be more important than Gers fans think.
“Cyriel Dessers has done well and finished as the club’s top goalscorer for Rangers in Europe,” Boyd said, per Daily Record.
“As a striker you’re always going to be criticised, more so playing with one up front and a few missed chances get pointed on you.
“In terms of Cyriel’s numbers, they have been excellent, and he’s scored 50 goals for Rangers in two seasons which is a fantastic return.
“I think because he’s missed so many chances, people criticise him but if you take a step back and look at his numbers and his contributions then I don’t think he is a problem at Ibrox.
“He’s been scoring goals and has been linked before with a move away which didn’t materialise.
“He’s been linked now with another move and I’m always sceptical when strikers get linked with moves away because a lot of people think you should be hitting those numbers he’s getting but it is not easy to do.
“You are depending on your teammates to create chances for you. I wouldn’t be in a hurry to lose Cyriel Dessers.”
Should Cyriel Dessers leave Rangers?
Before the end of the Scottish Premiership, Cyriel Dessers stated that he wanted to stay at Rangers and help the club win silverware.
“I’m really hungry to win more trophies, more silver at this club. So, for me, I’m very keen (to stay),” Dessers said.
“But obviously, like I say, there’s going to be a lot happening, but I’m looking forward to that as well.”
However, at Rangers, it has been from one criticism to the other. Even when he scores, the fans still complain about his missed chances.
Although he has maintained a strong front amid all the the flacks, it might be a bad idea to leave Glasgow if AEK Athens put a good financial offer on the table.
Moreover, the 30-year-old striker is already nearing the twilight of his career. So he should prioritize his bank account now rather than emotions.
Also, being in Scotland has not guaranteed him a place in the Super Eagles squad. So even if he moves to Greece, the status quo would remain the same.
Great player, keep him