Pundit impressed by new Rangers ace: “Like the look of him” as journalist discusses “Critical” Ibrox news

Cyriel Dessers’ place in the Rangers side is already set to come under threat by Hamza Igamane after the Moroccan’s performance at Dundee United, says Tam McManus.

The pundit explained how impressed he had been with the youngster on PLZ Soccer (16 September) and highlighted the striker as a positive for Philippe Clement’s embattled Light Blues side.

And with the weekend’s League Cup tie with Dundee the first back at Ibrox Alison McConnell cited another “critical” boost to the Gers when it was badly needed.

McManus said (32m): “Igamane coming on, I thought he looked good. I quite like the look of him if you’re a Rangers supporter. Igamane coming on, he can hold the ball up, he’s strong, he links the play. I thought Dessers was poor again.

“I think he’s gonna find his position under threat from Igamane because he came on for that little cameo against Celtic, looked okay, and then he came on [at Tannadice], looked strong, could hold it up, so he’s a positive for Rangers.”

McConnell then pointed to the early Ibrox return as a key development, saying: “Going back to Ibrox is big, given at one point there was speculation it was going to run until the turn of the year. Going back to Ibrox is critical. I think it will be a relief to get back.”

Hamza Igamane takes advantage of Danilo absence at Rangers

Rangers have had precious few reasons for positivity in recent weeks but Igamane has already shown signs of belatedly becoming a bright spot.

His signing was starting to look like an unwise use of what little transfer funds were available when Dessers was left as the only fully fit striker for the opening weeks of the season, with Igamane only making his debut off the bench in the Old Firm derby on 31 August.

But with Danilo ruled out of a month after suffering a set back and going for another knee operation [Chris Jack, 5 September] the 21-year-old has already shown flashes of quality that may vindicate Clement’s decision to spend the money while he was available and wait to bring him into the side.

Dessers was fairly important at Tannadice as Tom Lawrence’s goal secured a vital three points, and the Nigerian has ultimately proven to be crucial so far this term with five goals in all competitions while nobody else was available.

But if Igamane can build on his eye-catching introduction against the Tangerines he could end up being a vital reason for hope amid the chaos at Ibrox.

And having finally ended the tenancy at Hampden Park the timing of his introduction has coincided with the long-awaited homecoming to potentially spark something of a revival for Clement.

Nobody will be kidding themselves that the title race is immediately back on, with the gulf to Celtic made all too apparent at Parkhead before the international break.

But getting back on track and stringing together some results was a must after the derby and the first step has been achieved, with Igamane and an Ibrox return increasing the chances of following it up positively.

“Much More Attractive” than a Premier League club, according to Dave King, who is eyeing US and Saudi riches at Rangers.

Dave King wants Rangers investment from Saudi Arabia and the US as he puts himself forward to replace John Bennett as chairman for two years.

The former Ibrox chair told Chris Jack for the Rangers Review website on 16 September that he is willing to return temporarily after Bennett’s resignation on health grounds last week and insists the club are more attractive opportunity than English clubs such as Brighton or Sunderland.

He has ruled out Gers fans such as Bennett putting more cash into the club and has talked up interest from abroad.

He said: “There is some interest in the club at the moment, but I think we’ve got to get away from the model where we just rely on supporters writing out cheques. There is money out there, but that money is not going to come from Rangers.  We need to go and find other investors and bring them into the club. And I think that’s what we plan for the next two years.

“I’d be willing to do it. Yes, I would. I understand what’s involved. I’ll come in, stabilise it, get the right people in place, get the club working properly, at least give it direction, give it a plan. But part of that will be for me to find new investors who will come in and make a significant investment in the club.”

“I believe in chats that I’ve had there’s enough of an investor interest in those areas who are investing. Saudi, obviously, where Steven Gerrard is at the moment. There’s a lot of interest in football there.

“There’s a lot of interest in America still where they see football and sports generally as being good. Rangers are a far more attractive opposition, a far more attractive opportunity than, say, Sunderland or Brighton.

“We’re going to be in Europe and with the right amount of money, we really should be able to march on and actually dominate in Scotland.”

Dave King eyes Rangers chair role after John Bennett exit

Whether King finds a way back in at Ibrox or not the investment interest from abroad might be something that has legs if offers were to come forward.

John Gilligan has stepped into take Bennett’s place for now with the Light Blues in desperate need of some stability.

He is now tasked with finding a new chair as well as a chief executive, after Bennett saw advanced talks with St Mirren’s Jim Gillespie collapse [Daily Mail, 10 September] following James Bisgrove’s sudden exit to the Saudi Pro League this summer.

The financial gulf between the Gers and Celtic has been well documented after another title went to Parkhead last term and Philippe Clement’s side were knocked out of Champions League qualification in controversial circumstances this term.

So if there is viable interest in the club from abroad it may be something that needs to be investigated fully, whether by King or whoever is ultimately installed in the top jobs.

FFP regulations would necessarily temper the immediate impact in the transfer market but after Clement strained through the window with minimal room to manoeuvre it could ease the situation.

Whether Rangers are in fact a more attractive option than Brighton or Sunderland is perhaps open to debate.

The Seagull’s presence in the Premier League puts them on a different financial plane financially, as demonstrated by Clement’s inability to afford an Abdallah Sima return in the summer, while Sunderland have partially rebounded from their own recent struggles to be one step away from the English top flight.

But the size of Rangers and the Old Firm can’t be disputed so if the interest is there, and it was backed by the right intentions, it might need to be capitalised on.

Scottish pair and erstwhile Celtic target and Barcelona wonderkid are included in the esteemed top 100 list.

Hagi came off the bench to win his side a decisive penalty kick in their 3-1 win against Lithuania in the Nations League

Ianis Hagi showed Rangers fans just what they are missing after playing a pivotal role in Lithuania’s 3-1 win against Lithuania.

Mircea Lucescu’s men had gone into the game off the back of a handsome 3-0 victory against Kosovo in their Nations League C opener, but with just three minutes remaining on Monday night, looked like they would have to settle for a point against the Lithuanians. That was until Light Blues midfielder Hagi – who has been frozen out of the first team picture at Ibrox – appeared off the bench to win his team a crucial penalty.

The 25-year-old received the ball high on the right before moving towards the penalty area where he was brought down by Lithuania skipper Justas Lasickas. A spot kick was not immediately awarded, but following a VAR review the hosts were given a penalty which was duly dispatched by Razvan Marin before Alexandru Mitrita added a third in injury time.

After being deemed surplus to requirements by Philippe Clement, Hagi has kept himself fit by training with Rangers’ B team, who he also featured for in pre-season. The playmaker had been expected to move on during the summer transfer window but remained with the club beyond the deadline despite reported interest from clubs in his homeland.

Belgian boss Clement has excluded the Romania international from the Gers Europa League squad and Hagi has not appeared in a competitive fixture for the club since August 2023, having spent the whole of last season on loan at Alaves in La Liga. Hagi is still contracted with the Light Blues until 2026.

The Dundee boss, Luke McCowan, told Tony Docherty over the phone that he won’t just be a jersey filler at Celtic.

The attacking midfielder won a dream move to Parkhead on deadline night and made his debut against Rangers

Tony Docherty knows Luke McCowan has the mentality to shine at Celtic and won’t just be going to fill a jersey.

The attacking midfielder won his dream move on deadline night and then capped it by making his debut in the derby win over Rangers. McCowan will now use the international break to find his feet with the champions and will be gearing up for their return against Hearts a week on Saturday. Docherty has watched the 26-year-old play the best football of his career over the past season and a bit while at Dundee.

He is well aware he has the ability to make an impact with Brendan Rodgers’ side and also the mental strength, having been his stand-in captain at Dee, with Joe Shaughnessy out long-term. Docherty predicted: “He’ll go and be successful at Celtic, knowing his mentality, knowing his spirit. He will make sure that he does well there, he’s not just going there to fill a jersey, he’ll do well there because he’s got the mentality to do well.

“That’s the most rewarding part of the job when you’ve helped somebody along the way, not just me, all the staff. The staff need to take a great amount of credit for it and his team-mates too.”

McCowan admitted in the madness of it all he had only got five hours sleep. He wanted to go into Dundee on Monday to say his thank-yous and goodbyes to the staff but Docherty ordered him to catch up on his rest.

Doc said: “Obviously there’s mixed emotions regarding Luke because you don’t want to lose someone who is such a good player for you but for Luke I couldn’t be more happy, you’ve seen all the pictures and his reaction. He phoned me Saturday night and said he’d only five hours sleep, he’s absolutely running on adrenaline.

“He was actually meant to come see us on Monday but I said just get your head down, get a sleep, catch up on your hours and we’ll catch you another time. We are all absolutely delighted for him, you couldn’t ask for a better boy.”

Docherty might be the man of the frontline but he believes the success of McCowan goes to everyone at Dundee. McCowan becomes Dee’s fifth seven-figure sale, following Rab Douglas, Jack Hendry, Claudio Caniggia and Julian Speroni.

Doc said: “That was part of the team talk last Saturday. I told them they all played a part in getting him there. It should be rewarding for all of us when a player goes on because he’s done what he’s done with you successfully.

“He’s moved on to bigger things and that’s what you’re in it for – to develop and improve players. When that happens you can take a deal of satisfaction but all the credit goes to Luke and his team-mates.”

Docherty handed Simon Murray the armband and was pleased with the character his side showed against St Mirren at the weekend. They had not only lost their leader but dug in and came back from being a goal down to salvage a point.

It was enough to see the Dark Blues continue their unbeaten start. Doc said: “It just illustrates to me the strength of players, the performance level was very good.”