Philippe Clement Assures Cyriel Dessers of Support at Rangers, with the Belgian Planning an Extensive Search for Quality Signings in the Upcoming January Transfer Window. Since making the £4.5 million summer transfer, Dessers has struggled with form; yet, the new manager has pledged to try hard to get him fired.
With a pledge to use every effort, Philippe Clement hopes to restore Ranger misfit Cyriel Dessers to full strength.
This summer, Michael Beale’s top goal was to sign the £4.5 million player. However, thus far, the former front man for Feyenoord and Cremonese has been a huge letdown. The Nigerian international, who was born in Belgium, has only scored three goals in 15 games and is frequently singled out for criticism by enraged fans.
Beale paid the price for not being able to get Dessers to tune in, and Clement has taken his place. The new manager, though, is optimistic that he can assist his fellow Flanders native in finding his lost magic again after pulling off a similar comeback at his last club, Genk. “I will give him all the tools for that, and then it’s up to him to do it,” he declared. That applies to each and every player. We’ll equip them with the resources they need to perform at their peak.
“That’s why I say we need to give all possibilities for the players to step up. You always have surprises.
“I had it in Genk. I had two strikers there, Nikolaos Karelis who was scoring all the time and then there was Ally Samatta who didn’t play because he never scored goals. Everyone said ‘this guy never scores a goal’. But we worked really hard with Ally, like with all the other players, and he took it.
“He became better and after a few weeks I put Ally in the team more and more and he started to score goals. The next season he was top scorer in Belgium and the season after that he made a good transfer to Aston Villa.
“So we will invest in all the players to get the best out of them. Then it’s up to them to take this chance and make the most out of it.
“If you say already that they’ve succeeded before then the potential is there.”
The supporters at Ibrox will support the new manager, but Clement is aware that some of the players who have disappointed fans in the past won’t be getting off easy. However, he has urged the Light Blues hordes to present a unified front when he begins his new period on Saturday at home against Hibs.
He said: “Of course it helps. I understand the frustration of fans because I’ve been a fan also, when I was not in a job.
“I’ve been a fan in that part. My children and parents also.
“But it’s very important here that the fans also understand how much power they have to flip the story to a positive side. Because if they really support the players, also in the difficult moments, we as a club become much, much stronger. That’s really a big power they have.
“If they are convinced about that and understand that, you can have a very fast change, I think.”
Chairman John Bennett has told Clement that if he determines that reinforcements are needed, there would be money available for expenditure in January. However, he is aware that any war chest he receives is not likely to compare to what a Celtic board willing to pay Brendan Rodgers—a board that has £70 million stashed away.
