Rangers have now been left fearing the exit of one of Danny Rohl's most important players, with both Arsenal and Chelsea plotting summer moves.
Chermiti: Winning Scottish Premiership would be "everything"
It wasn't an easy start to life at Ibrox for Youssef Chermiti. His reported £8m price-tag raised plenty of eyebrows after an underwhelming Everton stint and a difficult run of form under Russell Martin at Rangers. Since the arrival of Rohl, however, he has become the ultimate big game player.
Rangers' most expensive signings of all time
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Having already netted a brace against Celtic in the Old Firm derby earlier this season, Chermiti followed that up by scoring a stunning hat-trick against Hearts on Sunday.
It was a must-win game for the Gers and they did not disappoint, producing an excellent 4-2 victory to close the gap on the Scottish Premiership leaders to just two points with 11 games remaining.
After grabbing the match-ball, the hero of the hour told reporters: "Yeah, we’re in the race. I think everyone likes a league like this, tight.
"This is where you see the good players. The pressure is on, we are looking for the title, 100 per cent. As I said, as soon as the team are confident, I feel confident.
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"The most important thing is the team – the mentality we are building. That (winning the title) would be everything for me."
Rangers' current form may not come without consequences, however, given that both Arsenal and Chelsea have now set their sights on one of Rohl's mainstays.
Arsenal & Chelsea plotting Fernandez moves
As reported by All Nigerian Soccer, Arsenal and Chelsea are now plotting moves to sign Emmanuel Fernandez from Rangers this summer.
The defender only arrived from Peteborough United last summer, joining for around £3.5m, but has already done enough to attract some impressive interest and comparisons with one of the best players in the world, Virgil van Dijk, who also shot to stardom north of the border.
Like Chermiti, Fernandez has become an important player at Ibrox after a difficult start. To lose him now would be a major blow for all involved at Rangers, but with interest from Borussia Dortmund and the Premier League, keeping hold of Fernandez may prove to be a tough task.
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The Gers should be fearful that their defender could be heading for the exit door after just one year. They will, however, be hoping to see the former Peterborough man pick up a league title before making any transfer decision.