Glasgow Rangers face Hibernian this weekend in their final match of the Scottish Premiership season before all focus can turn to the summer transfer window.
Getting a new head coach through the door should be the priority for the Light Blues, and it was recently reported that Davide Ancelotti, currently assistant to Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid, is closing in on the job.
Davide-Ancelotti-Rangers
It would be the Italian tactician's first job as a first-team manager and he would be immediately faced with a number of big decisions, including whether or not to cash in on James Tavernier.
Why James Tavernier could stay at Rangers
The English full-back is reportedly a target for teams in Italy and the MLS ahead of the summer transfer window, with his contract at Ibrox expiring in 2026, and this means that there is doubt over his future at the club.
Tavernier-Raskin-Rangers
Ancelotti, as a new head coach, could look to lean on Tavernier's experience, with 512 matches played for Rangers, and his leadership, as the captain, to help him in the role.
The right-back, who has scored 130 goals for the club, could be the link between the manager and the players, using his experience at Ibrox to ensure that the rest of the team are onboard and pulling in the right direction.
One player who should immediately be axed as the first departure of Ancelotti's reign, should the coach complete a move to Ibrox this summer, is centre-forward Cyriel Dessers.
Why Cyriel Dessers should be sold
The Nigeria international should be the first player axed by the Italian head coach because the manager should want a reliable and consistent number nine who can fire them back to glory in domestic football against Celtic.
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Unfortunately, Dessers, who has only scored two goals in ten matches against the Hoops, has not been a reliable centre-forward for the Gers since his move from Cremonese in the summer of 2023.
The £3m-rated flop, who was described as "awkward" to play against by journalist Josh Bunting, has proven himself to be excellent at getting into goalscoring positions, but has not provided enough quality with his finishing.
|Cyriel Dessers' Rangers form|
|Premiership|23/24|24/25|
|---|
|Appearances|35|34|
|Goals|16|17|
|Big chances missed|27|21|
|Big chances created|8|2|
|Assists|4|2|
|Duel success rate|33%|33%|
|Stats via Sofascore|
As you can see in the table above, he has got in enough positions to score 33 league goals since the start of last season, yet has also missed 48 'big chances', and been unreliable out of possession, losing 67% of his duels overall.
cyriel-dessers-rangers-celtic
This shows that Dessers does not make enough of the quality opportunities that are created for him, which is why he is not the reliable striker Rangers need to kick on and end Celtic's dominance in the Premiership. That is further backed up by his dismal goal return against the Hoops.
His lack of quality has been particularly telling in the Europa League as well. The striker scored three goals from 5.49 xG and missed a whopping ten 'big chances' in nine starts in the competition this term, which shows that he is not cut out to help the side kick on in European competitions.
Dessers-Rangers
Three Italian sides, Monza, Cagliari, and Empoli, were linked with the forward in January, and Ancelotti should push for the club to explore potential deals with any interested sides to move the striker on this summer, in order to create space for a new centre-forward to come in.
Dessers does not appear to be suited to leading the team forward as their main number nine, given his dismal finishing and struggles out of possession, and that is why the new head coach should instantly axe him from the team.
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Whereas Tavernier, another one of the senior players at the age of 33, could be kept around because of his experience at Rangers and the leadership he could provide.