The Rangers striker scored his 25th goal of the season in the weekend draw with Celtic
Rangers’ top goalscorer Cyriel Dessers says he would love to remain at Ibrox next season as he delivered an impassioned defence of his time at the club – but admits he has no control over what will happen in the summer.
So often a polarising figure in the Rangers fanbase, the 30-year-old Nigerian took his goal tally to 25 for the season in all competitions with a well-placed finish just before half-time in the 1-1 draw with Celtic at the weekend, meaning the Nigerian is now just three away from reaching a half century of goals in the royal blue of Rangers following his transfer from Cremonese in 2023.
However, with a takeover from the San Francisco 49ers imminent, and a new permanent head coach appointment on the horizon, Dessers’ role at Rangers is expected come under the microscope in the weeks and months to come – alongside a number of his teammates.
Scoring in an Old Firm at Ibrox as a Rangers player is one of the best feelings you can have as a football player,” said Dessers. “A great feeling. There was a big difference with our game last week [vs St Mirren]. That’s a sore point for us, why is it always with ups and downs? I don’t have a clear answer for that. But today, we were a lot better than last week.
I have no idea what is going to happen in the summer. Not in owners, not in the players. I don’t know who wants to stay, or who wants to leave. I cannot answer that. I’m the wrong person to ask, I’m not deciding the transfers, I’m not deciding who is going to be the gaffer. I’m not involved in that at all. I signed here with a clear intention, I said this in the press conference last week as well, I want to win trophies with Rangers, stay here for a few years, build on something. That’s my intention.
Dessers ‘just trying to do his job’
“I think if two years ago, the day I signed, you told the fans ‘this striker is going to score 47 goals in two seasons’, I think everybody would have said ‘yes please!’. It could have been more probably, it could have been less. I’m just trying to do my job. It’s hurt me [the criticism] a lot in the beginning. But I’ve now I’ve kind of moved past that, and I am just focussing on myself, helping my teammates out, helping the team out. In a team with a lot of ups and downs, to score 25 goals, I think that is a good achievement and I am proud of that
I love this club, and I love this group of players, so I will always try to go hard for them and contribute. That can be with goals, but it also can be hard work, to press. If I see the criticism somebody like Tav [James Tavernier] gets with the things he achieved at this club, then I think it will always be there, which is okay – it’s part of being at a big club like Rangers. You can feel the hurt in the fans, they always want more – and better – but that is what we want as players. I know it isn’t always easy, but we all want to go in the same direction together with the fans.
Another unclear Rangers future is that of interim head coach Barry Ferguson. The Rangers icon has overseen an inconsistent last few months at Ibrox, after being handed the reigns on a temporary basis following the sacking of Philippe Clement in February, and has already confessed he wants to take the role on a more permanent basis in the summer. With a decision imminent, Dessers’ believes Ferguson has one unique quality that could place him ahead of other names in the frame for the vacant role.
“Barry came in at at a very difficult time for the club,” said Dessers. “We were very deep, and he kind of got us out of it and brought some togetherness to the team. He didn’t complicate things too much, but he also noticed we have difficulties with being consistent, and performing week in, week out, at home and away, so it hasn’t been easy for him. But I think he’s shown some things, definitely.”
“I think it is a big positive for him if there is a decision to be made, that he knows the club inside and out. He’s knows the DNA of the club, he has the DNA of the club inside of him. If I think of his speech before the game, you feel the Rangers DNA and he can transfer that to the group. He is always passionate, but especially on a day like today.”
