Dessers’ Europe-hopping career continues with a move to Scotland from Italy, following seasons spent in the Netherlands and Belgium.
Scottish side Rangers have completed the transfer of Nigerian international striker, Cyriel Dessers, from Serie A side Cremonese on a four-year deal.
Rangers made the announcement but did not state the transfer fee paid for the 28-year-old.
This move sees Dessers return to UEFA competitions with Rangers, where he emerged as the top goal scorer with a 10-goal haul in the maiden UEFA Europa Conference League for Feyenoord. They lost 1-0 in the final to AS Roma.
The transfer wasn’t a surprise because Dessers had shown an interest in leaving Italy during the summer transfer window.
During his short spell with the Tigers, Dessers provided eight goals in 26 appearances, despite the high expectations placed on the Belgian-born striker.
With Dessers’ arrival, the Scottish side will parade another Nigerian after the trio of Joe Aribo, Leon Balogun, and Calvin Bassey left for the team at the end of the 2021/22 football season.
Dessers promises to bang in goals in Scotland
Dessers revealed his excitement after joining the historical team and offered to score goals for Rangers as they seek to upstage Celtic in the Scottish League.
“I am really happy. It is a big relief to finally be here. There have been some long days and some stressful days, but it is a great feeling to finally be here.
“The history of the club, the fans, the stadium, it’s massive, but next to that, I look at what is here at this moment. I had really good talks with Michael Beale about his plans, the ideas of what he wants on and off the pitch and I thought that could be a really good fit for me and for the team, so I am happy to be here.”
Beale stated that Desser’s experience was one reason he had a keen interest in the Nigerian being acquired by the club in this transfer window.
“We are delighted to have Cyriel [Dessers] joining our club. He brings a lot of experience from playing in Holland, Belgium, and Italy, as well as in European competitions.
“We were looking for a very specific profile and believe that Cyriel will give us a variety of qualities both in and out of possession. When we met, we spoke at length about his alignment to our style of play and the other forwards we have in our squad.
“At 28 years old, he is at a good age and will bring personality and leadership to our team. Cyriel pushed extremely hard to make this transfer a reality and showed a huge desire to come here.
“We are very happy to have him and his family joining us at Rangers. He is an excellent addition to our squad, and I look forward to working with him closely over the coming seasons.”
Dessers scored six goals in 26 league appearances for Cremonese in the 2022/23 Serie A season.