Cyriel Dessers came off the bench for Rangers in today’s 0–0 draw against Celtic at Ibrox, replacing new signing Bojan Miovski, but it was far from the farewell anyone might have expected.
Linked with moves to AEK Athens, Trabzonspor and Hellas Verona, as well as potential returns to former clubs Cremonese, who recently signed Jamie Vardy, and Feyenoord, Dessers looked like a player caught in transition.
Despite stepping onto the pitch in one of Scottish football’s biggest games, Dessers showed all the effort you would expect from a professional.
He pressed defenders, Cyriel Dessers came off the bench for Rangers in today’s 0–0 Old Firm draw against Celtic, replacing new signing Bojan Miovski. But it was far from the farewell anyone might have expected. With Rangers reportedly accepting a £5 million bid from Greek side Panathinaikos, Dessers’ future is all but sealed.
There was no goal, no dramatic late moment, and no farewell to the fans at full-time, bringing the question to the fore, was he aware this would be his final game for the club as he took the field, with news breaking during the match.
With the Panathinaikos move now likely, Rangers will soon say goodbye to a forward who has contributed plenty of goals previous seasons, even if today’s performance was unspectacular.
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Fans won’t get the fairytale ending, just a reminder that football careers rarely follow a neat script.
For Dessers, it’s back to planning the next chapter. For Rangers, it’s about finding the goals they lacked today if they are to turn possession and territory into real results.
The draw preserved a point, but for the striker, it was a workmanlike final cameo rather than the send-off anyone might have hoped for.
Rangers look set to confirm Portuguese forward Youssef Chermiti as Dessers’ replacement, with the Gers reportedly paying at least £8m for the forward who has failed two score for Everton despite signing two years ago.