Chermiti Bicycle Kick Left Dessers Convinced of Rangers Striker
Youssef Chermiti's chermiti moment in the Old Firm left Cyriel Dessers convinced Rangers may have a striker built for decisive games. The former Rangers forward, now at Panathinaikos, said the 21-year-old has the tools to become a major weapon if he stays and keeps improving.
Dessers on Chermiti
Dessers spoke exclusively to the Rangers Review and did not hide his view of the 21-year-old. "I think [Youssef] is very complete," he said, before adding: "He has the size, he has the speed for his size. He can drop into those pockets."
He tied that assessment to production in the biggest moments. "He scored some beautiful goals in big moments. Of course, that's very important for being a striker at Rangers; sometimes you need your striker to do something magical," Dessers said.
The memory that stayed with him was the bicycle kick in the Old Firm. "I remember his bicycle kick in the Old Firm, thinking 'Wow, this guy really has something for sure'," he said. That is the kind of play Rangers have been searching for from the forward line.
Chermiti's Rangers output
Chermiti has already put numbers behind the praise. At the time of writing, he had 12 goals in all competitions and four assists for Rangers after a difficult start to the season.
Dessers said the progress was clear during the campaign. He hoped Chermiti could stay at least one more season and improve even further, and he framed the upside in direct terms: "If that happens, you have a very, very big weapon to win that league."
From Dessers to Panathinaikos
The view carries extra weight because Dessers knows the standard at the position. He scored 52 goals in all competitions for Rangers across two seasons in Glasgow before leaving for Panathinaikos last summer.
That leaves Chermiti under the kind of spotlight every Rangers striker faces. He has the goals, the assists and the memory of one standout Old Firm finish; now the measure is whether he turns that into a full season at the level Dessers described.
