First Onuachu and Aribo, now Cyriel Dessers: Southampton flop appointed as another Super Eagles star’s coach at Rangers

Former Southampton coach Russell Martin will now be Cyriel Dessers' coach at club level, as Scottish Premiership giants Rangers have confirmed his appointment, Soccernet.ng reports.

Rangers parted ways with Barry Ferguson at the end of the campaign, after the Scottish tactician failed to impress upon replacing Philippe Clement midway into the season. Ferguson was in charge of 15 games and managed only six wins.

As Ferguson's replacement, the Gers have now announced the appointment of Scottish tactician Martin as coach.

✍️ We are delighted to confirm the appointment of Russell Martin as Head Coach of our men’s first team on a three-year deal.

Full Details ⬇️

— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) June 5, 2025

The Scottish tactician spent 18 months at Southampton in what was a rollercoaster ride. He helped the club gain promotion to the English top-flight in his first season.

But he got sacked six months into his second campaign after a string of poor results. Southampton eventually got relegated as they were the worst team in the league.

Will Cyriel Dessers enjoy a better fate than Paul Onuachu under Russell Martin at Rangers?

During his time at Southampton, Russell Martin was in charge of two Super Eagles players － Joe Aribo and Paul Onuachu.

While Aribo got a lot of game time, Onuachu was more of a bench warmer. He didn't get minutes until Martin left even though the other strikers at the club were not clearly better.

Moreso, he did not make both players better, as Aribo was bang average, while Onuachu did not even get opportunities to prove himself.

Now, Cyriel Dessers － another Super Eagles star－ will work under Martin at Rangers. And it is left to be seen whether both of them will work well together.

Dessers is the most maligned Rangers player. But he is also the best at the club. He will hope that his fortunes improve under Martin and he gets his desire of winning silverware with the club.