Thomas Buffel didn’t spend a second worrying about filling Ronald de Boer’s boots. And the Rangers legend reckons Ibrox target Cyriel Dessers would be best served ignoring any thought about having to tread in Alfredo Morelos’ footprints too.
The Nigeria ace has emerged as the leading candidate to replace Gers’ Buffalo Soldier now Morelos has hoofed it off to pastures new. Record Sport revealed that the Light Blues have lodged an unsuccessful seven-figure bid for the Cremonese striker - but talks remain ongoing with boss Michael Beale keen to seal a deal.
Buffel is also a major fan of the 28-year-old after watching him shine for two of his former clubs - Feyenoord and Genk. And he reckons Dessers has all the tools needed to be a success if he makes it a third with Gers. But just like he had to live with comparisons to de Boer when he joined Alex McLeish’s side in January 2005 six months after the Dutch icon’s own Ibrox exit, Buffel knows Dessers faces having his every move measured against the exploits of Rangers’ newly-departed Colombian if his switch goes through.
His advice is simple - it’s hard enough making your own name at the Old Firm without trying to live up to someone else’s. He told Record Sport: “For me, I looked up to quality players. I had enormous respect for the players who went before me at Rangers like de Boer. But it was no big thing replacing him.
“When I came through at Feyenoord I was just a kid but playing alongside guys like Pierre van Hooijdonk, Paul Bosvelt, Jon Dahl Tomasson, Julio Cruz. But when I went on the pitch I wasn’t worried about these big names - I was only focused on my own qualities and I tried to show I was as good as them.
“I’m lucky that I could achieve some nice moments. Of course when I moved to Rangers there were things spoken here and there about me replacing de Boer. But I had a coach in Alex McLeish who was clear of what he expected of me. He didn’t want me to copy anyone else, he wanted me to play like I had at Feyenoord, to be skilful and be the link-up with the strikers.
“I was lucky that in that first season I was productive, scored some goals and we won the championship on the last day, which was fantastic. My advice to Cyriel is to play his own game and don’t worry about becoming the new Morelos. Of course you have to respect the guy who went before you and achieved something. But in football, every game is a new game and even players who achieved something before have to keep striving for more.
“Yes you can carry a bit of luggage with you with what you have achieved already but after two or three clubs, especially at a top club like Rangers, you have to achieve again. At that moment you only have the future in front of you. Cyriel only has to worry about what’s next - not what’s gone before.”
Belgian-born Dessers had productive spells in both his homeland and Holland before joining boyhood favourites Genk in 2020. His dream move didn’t pan out as hoped, though, as he was largely left playing second fiddle to current Southampton star Paul Onuachu. But a 12-month loan to Feyenoord gave Dessers the platform and minutes needed to display his talents.
And they were there for all of the continent to see as he topped the Europa Conference League scoring charts as the Rotterdam side made it all the way to the final before losing to Jose Mourinho’s Roma. A £6million move to Italy followed last summer but while it failed to produce the goals needed to keep Cremonese in Serie A, Buffel believes Dessers can be a hit in Glasgow. He said: “I think he’s a player who has different qualities as a striker.
“Sometimes you have small fast strikers, other times you have tall target strikers. But he’s kind of both. He has his size (6ft 1ins) which is an advantage so he can hold off defenders. But he also has good technique as well to make a dribble. He’s not the fastest but he can run away from defenders. He did very well with Feyenoord the year they reached the Europa Conference League Final. But he was unlucky when he was at Genk that he was playing behind the top scorer in Belgium two years in a row.
“Paul Onuachu has been scoring a lot of goals so Cyriel didn’t want to have to wait for minutes in that scenario, which I can understand, so that’s why he went on loan to Feyenoord before moving to Italy last year. He’s played every week at Feyenoord in front of 40,000 people - so he knows what pressure feels like. Sometimes at Rangers players have difficulty adapting to that.
“There is pressure at a club like Genk but it’s not the same as playing in front of 40 or 50,000 people at clubs like Feyenoord and Rangers - the difference is huge. But Cyriel has shown he can cope with that change. He’s not a young player anymore either. At 28, that’s a fantastic age. You’re at the best of your level and you have a lot of experience under your belt. I think it would be an asset for any club to have a player like him in their team.
“For me, he’s a player who can be very productive in Glasgow. That’s the first thing you look at when you search for a Rangers striker because you have to score goals at that club. It’s OK if you can dribble or play nice as a target man but at the end of the day, Rangers strikers have to score. But Cyriel is a goalscorer and if he has good players around him who deliver the ball to the right spot, he will make the runs that allow him to hit the net.”
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