The 30-year-old last started a game for Philippe Clement’s side over a month ago, and after losing his starting spot to Hamza Igamane and Danilo in recent weeks, was given an opportunity against Motherwell yesterday, but it didn’t go well for the Nigerian.

In a quick turn of events, Motherwell were two goals up by 35 minutes. Dessers had the chance to pull one back for the Gers after a brilliant cross from Turkish full-back, Ridvan Yilmaz, fizzled across the two opposition centre-backs, but Dessers couldn’t make proper contact and fluffed his chance.

As a result, the former Cremonese man was withdrawn at half-time and was replaced by Moroccan U-23 striker, Igamane, who scored a brace to steal a point for Rangers at the Fir Park.

Ferguson, reacting to the coach’s decision to take Dessers off at half-time, revealed the manager was justified as the Super Eagles forward should have found the back of the net.

“It has to be a goal, simple as. Ridvan Yilmaz’s cross is bang on the money, and Cyriel Dessers should be scoring,” the 57-year-old said on BBC Sportssound.

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Dessers’ time at Ibrox has been marked by highs and lows as he’s struggled to gain the trust of the fans despite the constant backing of his manager, Philippe Clement.

Now third in the striking pecking order, the Nigerian could make his way out of the club in January, with the Gers requesting around $5.5m for the services of the ex-Feyenoord man. French Ligue 1 side, AS Saint-Etienne are looking to bring Dessers in on loan when the winter transfer windows.

The 36-year-old defender has played more games in the first half of this season than he managed in the entirety of the last campaign, becoming an integral part of the Rangers defence.

Balogun was drafted into the Rangers’ starting eleven against St.Mirren at the SMISA Stadium but was withdrawn after just 19 minutes. The former Mainz 05 man attempted to continue but was eventually replaced by Robin Propper.

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Speaking after the game, Coach Clement revealed he didn’t know about the severity of Balogun’s injury as he had to focus on other things during the game.

“I don’t know yet, to be honest. I didn’t have time to speak about that. I had other things to speak about at half-time and after the game also. So, I didn’t ask that one because I know the doctor will say he needs to make an assessment tomorrow. So, we will focus on that tomorrow.

The 30-year-old was Rangers’ top striker last season but has seen his place in the team snatched away by Moroccan youngster, Hamza Igamane.

To make things worse for the Nigerian forward, Brazilian striker, Danilo, recently returned from injury and has been in the goals for Philippe Clement’s side.

As per the Scottish Sun, the SPFL giants are getting serious in their pursuit of one of the top strikers in South African League, in the person of Iqraam Rayners, who’s the current highest goal scorer in the country’s top-flight.

The Gers have been keeping a close eye on the forward and it has been confirmed that interest has intensified in the past few days. It is believed that the Ibrox club are now serious about submitting a bid and have made an enquiry for the 29-year-old forward.

With interest in Rayners high, many have tipped Dessers to make way amongst Rangers’ trio of strikers, with his efficiency in front of goal constantly getting questioned.

French Ligue 1 side, AS Saint-Etienne, have registered interest in Dessers as they look to escape the relegation zone, but it is currently unknown if the Nigerian is interested in the move.

The former Cremonese striker, in the past month at Ibrox, has seen his career go downhill. Despite not being a fan favourite, Dessers produced decent numbers for the Gers in front of goal, but it was only a matter of time before his profilgacy caught up with him.

Hamza Igamane’s return from injury and Danilo’s goal-scoring form saw the 29-year-old quickly fall down the pecking order for Philippe Clemente’s side.

He came on in the League Cup final against Celtic, but couldn’t help his side break the edge. To complicate things, Dessers shied away from the side’s penalty shootout as they lost yet another title to their rivals. In pale comparison, Rangers’ goalkeeper, Jack Butland took a spot kick.

“If you have the Rangers number nine jersey on your back you should be stepping up to take a penalty in a shoot-out, but, it’s a bigger man that walks away if he doesn’t feel right for it. I always think your goalscorer should be taking our penalties because it’s an opportunity to score a goal.

I was very surprised to see him not take it but I don’t know how he was feeling physically or mentally so if there’s something wrong it’s a bigger man actually who says ‘no, I’m not physically or mentally prepared for this’. I don’t know if that was the case with Dessers.

Rangers forwards, all forwards in fact, need to score goals but if you have got a problem physically or mentally and you’re not up for it for whatever reason then it’s the correct thing to do,” the 62-year-old said in quotes revealed by the Daily Record.

Things may get complicated for Dessers as he needs playing time to regain his confidence, but he’ll most likely get it elsewhere, as Ligue 1 side, Saint-Etienne have registered interest in him.

The 29-year-old has had a decent goal-contribution output for The Gers since joining last summer, scoring 34 goals and providing 13 assists in 80 games. However, he’s been unable to win over the hearts of the fans at the club due to his inconsistency in front of goal.

As a result, the former Cremonese striker has seen his playing time reduce this season, with Hamza Igamane back in form and Danilo regaining full fitness.

Dessers came on in Rangers’ Sports Cup final clash against their rivals, Celtic, but the Gers lost on penalties, and the Nigerian striker was under fire again for not taking a spot kick, particularly because the club’s goalkeeper, Jack Butland took a penalty, hinting Dessers shied away from taking responsibility.

The former Feyenoord striker was linked with a move to the MLS in the summer, but he opted to stay put, and could now be on the move again when the transfer window opens in January.

According to French outlet, Le Republicain Sportif , ten-times Ligue 1 winners, AS Saint-Etienne, have a strong interest in signing Dessers, and with the Nigerian third in the striker’s pecking order at Hampden Park, it is only imperative to find more playing time elsewhere.

The report revealed that Rangers would be looking for a fee of around £3.5million for the striker, who is under contract at Ibrox until 2027.

Saint-Etienne are currently 16th on the Ligue 1 table with 13 points from their opening 15 games. They’ve also scored just twelve league goals this season, the same as Dessers in all competitions this campaign.

While Dessers will be a great addition to the French side as they look to avoid relegation, it is highly doubted that he’ll be willing to ditch European football at this stage of his career.

Veteran Nigerian centre-back Balogun made his 11th league appearance for the Gers and the former Mainz star was a rock in defence as the visitors kept a clean sheet inside the Global Energy Stadium in Dingwall.

Dessers only featured for the final few minutes after he came on to the pitch to replace Moroccan forward Hamza Igamane in the 80th minute.

Still, the Nigerian striker made his impact felt as he assisted James Tavernier to net Rangers third goal of the encounter four minutes from time.

Rangers dominated the game from start to finish as first-half goals from Igamane and Danilo had Philippe Clement’s men in the driving seat before Dessers and Tavernier combined to add to the tally.

Rangers have now won each of their last four matches in all competitions including three in the Premiership.

However, the Gers remain stuck in third place in the league two points behind Aberdeen and 11 fewer than champions Celtic.

On Thursday, Rangers will turn their attention to the Europa League as they host Tottenham Hotspur at the Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow.

Despite scoring just one goal in his five appearances in the competition, Dessers will hope to start against the visiting English Premier League side.

Rangers have been decent in the Europa League, winning three games and drawing one to earn ten points and sit in eighth place, 2hich is the last automatic qualification spot for the quarterfinals.

Overall this season, Dessers has managed 12 goals and three assists in 23 games for Rangers.

Dessers has been decent for Rangers since he joined the club from Italian club Cremonese in a €5 million transfer in 2023. The Nigerian striker has produced 34 goals and 12 assists in 77 appearances.

However, most Rangers fans have been unsatisfied with his performances during to his low conversion rate. Dessers has developed a knack for missing clear-cut chances, and this has made even Rangers fans troll him.

Despite the criticisms the 29-year-old has gotten, Clement has always backed him, until recently. Dessers has not started the Gers’ last three games in all competitions, with Danilo and Hamza Igamane getting the nod ahead of him.

Now, according to Ibrox News, Rangers are even looking to sign another strike in January. And this could mean that Dessers’ place in the first team is in danger. Hence, he could be forced to start looking for a new club.

The Nigeria international still has two years left on his contract, so Rangers could still make a substantial fee from a sale.

Nonetheless, nothing is confirmed yet, as Dessers could still reclaim his starting shirt at Rangers.

The 29-year-old Nigerian forward has been Rangers’ first choice striker since joining last season, but has continuously struggled to win over the Ibrox fans due to his inconsistency in front of goal.

Philippe Clement opted to leave the Super Eagles forward on the bench in Rangers’ UEFA Europa League clash against OGC Nice, preferring Moroccan Hamza Igamane in his stead.

Igamane scored a brace and was taken off for Dessers with half an hour left on the clock, but the former Cremonese striker didn’t help his cause as he scuffed a chance from six yards out. As a result, he was left on the bench again on Sunday, and didn’t come on at all.

Naismith, who donned the Rangers’ colours between 2007 and 2012, revealed the coach is in a tough situation, but then mentioned the treatment wasn’t proper.

“That’s probably the biggest frustration for the manager. He’s got three forwards who are all slightly different in their type of profile as a player.

For any Rangers forward it is about the consistency. You see it through the years, strikers who consistently score goals or are involved in goals. Dessers has done that the most but has took a bit of criticism recently.

He (Clement) is searching for that one guy who is going to stand up and consistently hit the net, which eases everything for a Rangers performance,” the former Norwich City midfielder said in on BBC UK via Sportscene.

Quizzed about who would be his preferred option to lead the line for the Gers, the 38-year-old said;

“I don’t think it’s so much about what one. It’s about the build-up of the games, who we’re playing against. Igamane in midweek had a brilliant performance. He had a calmness in front of goal and his work rate to create the goals was great, but today, you see the first pass in the clip, he gives it to St Johnstone which kills the attack.

His performance never really got going today but then the manager bringing Danilo on instead of Dessers probably tells you he is unsure of all three,” Naismith concluded.

In 22 games for Rangers this season, Cyriel Dessers has scored 10 goals and provided two assists, and has the most goal contributions in the team since joining from Cremonese last summer.

The 26-year-old was the pillar of Chippa’s defence, making crucial saves, including a spectacular penalty stop in the second half that ensured the visitors failed to mount a comeback.

Chippa United laid the groundwork for victory in the first half, with Sinoxolo Kwayiba striking twice at the Buffalo City Stadium in East London. Despite Magesi FC’s attempts to fight back, Nwabali was impenetrable, keeping his clean sheet intact.

The pivotal moment came in the 47th minute when Zimbabwean forward Edmore Chirambadare stepped up to take a penalty for Magesi.

Nwabali dived decisively to his right, parrying the ball away and preserving Chippa’s two-goal advantage.

https://twitter.com/NwabaliBobo/status/1863148089382412517

After the match, Nwabali took to social media to dedicate his performance to his late father. Sharing a clip of his penalty save, he wrote on X (formerly Twitter):

“Access denied. Great team performance, penalty save and a clean sheet. Keep on resting dad.”

The win marked Chippa United’s third clean sheet in four matches and propelled them to third place on the PSL table with 14 points from nine games. It is a remarkable turnaround for the club, which narrowly avoided relegation last season.

Nwabali’s stellar form has seen him record five clean sheets in the league this season, solidifying his reputation as one of Africa’s top goalkeepers.

The 27-year-old joined La Dea from RB Leipzig in 2022, after struggling to stamp his foot in his previous clubs. However, the partnership of both parties has forged success for all involved.

Since Lookman joined the Bergamo-based side, they’ve reached the Coppa Italia final, won the UEFA Europa League, and played the UEFA Super Cup against Real Madrid. Currently, they’re a point behind Serie A league leaders, Inter Milan.

Speaking to reporters ahead of Atalanta’s clash against Roma on Monday, Gasperini praised Lookman’s impact both on and off the pitch.

“We are in a good period of form in Italy and Europe. I’m happy with the performances and results we are getting. Winning the Europa League last season helped us grow in confidence and self-belief.

Many new players have arrived and are improving, but it was last season’s success, driven by players like Lookman, that set the tone,” the Italian gaffer said in quotes revealed by Brila.

Atalanta have continued their great form from last season into this campaign, and are primed to steal all three points at the Estadio Olimpico on Monday. Lookman’s side are currently undefeated in their last twelve league games, drawing two and winning ten.

Gasperini’s side have also scored the most goals in the league this season, and Lookman has contributed to eleven of those.