NafisaScottish manager Russell Martin faces numerous challenges early in his role as Glasgow Rangers’ new head coach ahead of the 2025/26 season.
Why Rangers struck gold with Joe Aribo:
The former Southampton boss must assemble a team capable of contending for the Scottish Premiership title, and has already welcomed Lyall Cameron to his midfield ranks.
However, Martin will also need to address the possibility of some of his top players departing Ibrox if clubs submit substantial offers for them during the summer transfer window.
Fiorentina and Marseille are reportedly interested in Nicolas Raskin, who is valued at £20m by the 49ers, and up to six English clubs are said to be monitoring Mohamed Diomande ahead of a potential move for his services.
The Light Blues are accustomed to profiting from their star players over the years, as talents have frequently left Glasgow to explore other opportunities in Europe in recent seasons.
One transaction that the Scottish giants capitalized on, though, was the transfer of Joe Aribo to then-Premier League side Southampton in the summer of 2022.
The Nigeria international was an exceptional player for Rangers during his stint at Ibrox, having spent three years at the club after arriving from Charlton in the summer of 2019.
Aribo amassed 26 goals and 25 assists in 149 matches across all competitions for the Light Blues in those three seasons, and his final goal contribution was a strike in the Europa League final against Eintracht Frankfurt.
The left-footed talent’s performances for Rangers drew interest from England, and he secured a transfer to then-Premier League club Southampton in the summer of 2022.
A reported fee of £10m was settled between the two clubs for the attacking midfielder, who was reportedly being scouted by other teams in the English top-flight, and that has proven to be an excellent deal for the Gers.
Date
Market valuation
July 2022
Reported £10m deal
November 2022
£12.8m
June 2023
£9.4m
October 2023
£6.8m
December 2023
£5.1m
May 2024
£4.2m
December 2024 – present
£5.1m
Valuations via Transfermarkt
As shown in the table above, Aribo’s value has dropped significantly to just £5.1m, according to Transfermarkt, in the three years since the midfield star opted to leave Ibrox.
The 28-year-old, who has notched nine goals and provided one assist in 109 games for Southampton, has not progressed during his time in England, which indicates that the Gers struck it rich with the deal they secured for him in 2022.
Rangers could replicate that success this summer amid rumors that another one of their forwards might depart the club in the coming weeks.
Rangers striker poised to leave Ibrox:
According to Soccernet.ng, Cyriel Dessers is set to finalize a permanent exit from Rangers before the summer transfer window closes.
The report states that the Nigeria international is ‘set’ to join Greek giants AEK Athens, after he ‘aimed’ for a move away from Ibrox ahead of next season.
Soccernet.ng adds that the striker has already verbally agreed to sign with the Greek club and has outlined a £30k-per-week contract to sign if the transfer is completed this summer.
The outlet notes that the two clubs still need to reach an agreement on a transfer fee for the player before a deal can be finalized, and it does not specify how much money would be required to complete it.
However, The Scottish Sun recently reported that the Gers are seeking a fee of around £5m for the striker, whom they acquired for £4.5m from Cremonese in 2023.
If the Light Blues can secure a £5m deal to sell Dessers to AEK Athens, who Soccernet.ng claims he is set to join, then it could mirror the Aribo deal.
Why Dessers could mirror Aribo
The 30-year-old forward could follow in Aribo’s path as another key performer whose value might decline after leaving the Scottish giants.
His value has already decreased from £4.2m at the time of his Ibrox arrival to £3.4m as of now (19/06/2025), per Transfermarkt, which immediately suggests that a fee of £5m would be a fantastic deal for Rangers.
This is despite a commendable goalscoring record of 51 goals in 109 matches for the Light Blues across all competitions over the past two seasons.
His value at AEK Athens, should a transfer occur this summer, could decline further on Transfermarkt, despite a potential £5m fee, because he may not have the opportunity to score as frequently.
The Greek side finished fourth in the Super League and scored only 48 goals, while Rangers finished second in the Premiership and scored 80 goals.
Cyriel Dessers (European comps + Premiership)
23/24
24/25
Appearances
47
46
Goals
21
18
Shots
110
103
Shots on target
52
51
Big chances missed
29
31
Assists
6
4
Stats via Sofascore
As illustrated in the table above, the Nigerian striker squandered an astonishing 60 ‘big chances’ in the Premiership, Europa League, and Champions League combined during his first two seasons at Ibrox.
Dessers, whom journalist Josh Bunting described as “awkward” to play against due to his physicality, scored a respectable number of goals for Rangers because he was in a team that consistently created chances for him, as evidenced by the number of major opportunities he missed.
Therefore, he may find it challenging to make the same impact at an AEK Athens team that did not create or score nearly as much as Rangers did in the 2024/25 campaign, which could highlight his inefficient finishing in a side that does not generate many ‘big chances’.
This suggests that Dessers’ goalscoring output could decrease as a result of joining the Greek side, which is why his value might also drop significantly following the move, especially now that the striker is in his 30s and entering the later stages of his career.
Selling the veteran forward to Athens for £5m, if a deal can be agreed at that price, could mirror the Aribo deal for Rangers as another player whose value might decline after leaving.
Nafisa
