No Goals In 28 Months - So Why Have Rangers Spent Big On Chermiti?

Scottish Premiership: Rangers v Heart of Midlothian

Venue: Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow Date: Saturday, 13 September Time: 15:00 BST

Coverage: Listen connected Sportsound, watch highlights connected Sportscene and travel unrecorded matter updates connected nan BBC Sport website & app

Ninety-three minutes into nan penultimate distant crippled of Sporting Lisbon's 2022-23 season, teen Youssef Chermiti turns successful nan 4th extremity of a convincing triumph for Ruben Amorin's broadside astatine Pacos de Ferreira.

Twenty-eight months, 25 games and two-big money transfers later, nan young Portuguese guardant is yet to people again.

So why person Rangers sealed a deal worthy a reported £10m, external to bring nan 21-year-old from Everton to Ibrox?

Former Sporting younker coach Pedro Coelho tells BBC Scotland: "I met Youssef erstwhile he was 14 and each nan clip he was a reference successful his property groups.

"Everton was a difficult transition, but now, astatine 21, he has each nan talent and each nan characteristic to execute a precocious level successful football."

Boasting pace, powerfulness and beingness astatine a tallness of astir 6ft 3in, online footage of Chermiti playing academy shot astatine Sporting depicts a man among boys.

"I retrieve he scored a beautiful extremity against Benfica, a bicycle kick," recalls Coelho, who coached nan Rangers striker astatine under-15s and under-19s.

"It was nan first clip I'd seen Youssef. Against Benfica, each goals are special, but a bicycle footwear from a 14-year-old boy isn't normal."

What is normal is his character. Coelho says Chermiti, who has played and scored for Portugal astatine almost each younker level, is "a normal boy pinch awesome talent".

"He really made a sanction for himself successful nan Sporting academy pinch nan under-15s," nan 36-year-old adds.

"We won nan nationalist title and he was 1 of nan champion players successful nan league. He scored 12 goals successful nan past 10 games.

"He's very gangly but truthful beardown erstwhile he's moving into space. When he has abstraction down defenders, he's very good.

"In nan box, he has bully mobility, but his champion behaviour is attacking nan backmost station - he's so, truthful bully astatine that."

Chermiti's estimation only strengthened arsenic he progressed done nan property groups and he was promised a pathway by now Manchester United leader Amorin.

He was handed his first-team debut astatine 18 disconnected nan chair successful a tie pinch rivals Benfica successful January 2023 and scored his first extremity a period later successful a 1-0 triumph distant to Rio Ave.

Chermiti netted again successful nan pursuing match, a conclusion by Porto, pinch guidance caput coach Sergio Conceicao hailing him arsenic "a young subordinate of awesome quality".

Among Chermiti's 10 Sporting starts, Amorin besides trusted him to lead nan statement successful nan first limb of a Europa League quarter-final distant to Juventus that ended successful a 1-0 defeat.

In a comparatively mini sample size of 839 convention minutes - nan balanced of astir 9 afloat 90-minute matches - Chermiti classed precocious successful aggregate attacking metrics successful his breakthrough campaign.

On a per-90 basis, his expected goals, touches successful nan guidance container and aerial duel occurrence placed him among nan apical forwards successful Portugal's apical flight.

When you see he was a teen astatine nan time, those numbers go much impressive.

That underlying information caught eyes successful nan Premier League, pinch Everton, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Bournemouth each expressing an liking successful nan young striker.

Despite his constricted first-team minutes, nan Merseyside nine would spell connected to unafraid a £15m transfer.

Former Everton head of shot Kevin Thelwell, now successful a akin domiciled astatine Rangers, was heavy progressive successful nan deal.

And it is clear nan 51-year-old sees immense imaginable successful nan guardant fixed he has sanctioned different big-money transportation to bring him to Glasgow.

"We judge he tin create into a apical striker present and we're assured Rangers is nan correct spot for him to return that adjacent step," Thelwell said pursuing nan attacker's move to Ibrox.

Chermiti made 20 appearances successful his debut run successful England, but nan mostly of those were precocious cameos, starting conscionable twice.

There was optimism successful July past twelvemonth from past Everton leader Sean Dyche, who told BBC Sport nan youngster had returned for pre-season successful amended shape.

However, a ft wounded halted his momentum, keeping him retired until December, earlier a hamstring rumor sidelined nan striker successful early 2025.

Chermiti would time off Everton without scoring a extremity successful 24 matches, playing conscionable 295 minutes crossed 2 seasons.

"I don't cognize if 'soon' is nan correct word," Coelho says connected whether nan move to England came astir excessively fast.

"But nan truth is nan demands of nan Premier League are really difficult. He'll person learned and improved. At 21, he is fresh to get a precocious capacity astatine a caller club."

A reported package of £10m makes Chermiti 1 of Rangers' astir costly signings.

The anticipation that will travel pinch that, coupled pinch nan unit of starring nan Ibrox side's attack, will beryllium a situation for personification truthful young.

However, Coelho says, pinch nan fans' backing, nan guardant has "all nan conditions" to thrive successful "the correct environment".

The existent situation astatine Rangers is simply a tricky 1 fixed nan broadside are enduring their worst convention commencement since 1983 nether caput coach Russell Martin, who described Chermiti arsenic "a young striker pinch immense potential".

But nan 21-year-old, on pinch his attacking team-mates, will still beryllium expected to present instantly by replacing nan goals that person near nan team.

Cyriel Dessers scored 29 past term, pinch Hamza Igamane netting 16. Both departed precocious successful nan summertime window.

The communicative of Dessers' Ibrox profession is 1 that highlights really unforgiving life arsenic Rangers' centre-forward tin be.

The Nigerian scored 52 goals successful 115 games crossed 2 years but still faced aggravated disapproval passim his spell.

Dessers continually bounced backmost from scrutiny and Chermiti will person to show akin resilience. So, too, will chap summertime signing Bojan Miovski.

Following Chermiti's arrival, immoderate Rangers fans person questioned whether Martin will look to play nan erstwhile Everton man and Miovski successful nan aforesaid team.

"He tin play unsocial aliases pinch different striker," Coelho replies erstwhile asked astir Chermiti's expertise to play successful a beforehand two.

"He's speedy and beardown successful duels. He moves very well, centrally aliases retired wide. He has an fantabulous profile, an breathtaking profile.

"I judge a batch successful him, but he must amended his talent astatine a precocious level and Rangers are a large team.

"If he doesn't person injuries, and pinch assurance and playing consistently, he tin execute a big, large level successful football."