Rangers manager Philippe Clement has come to the defence of Super Eagles striker Cyriel Dessers following a turbulent yet personally impressive 2024/2025 campaign, Footynaija.com reports.
Despite finishing as the club’s top scorer and setting a new personal best, Dessers found himself frequently under fire from sections of the Rangers fan base and media.
Rangers endured a frustrating season overall, finishing second in the Scottish Premiership, well behind bitter rivals and champions Celtic. The lack of silverware only added to the club’s frustrations, and Dessers, despite his goal tally, often became the target of criticism.
The 30-year-old striker finished the season with 29 goals in 55 appearances in all competitions, setting a new career-high in total goals scored across a single season. He also ended the league campaign as the Scottish Premiership’s top scorer with 18 goals.
Despite the numbers, many fans remained unconvinced, often pointing to his missed chances and dry spells. Clement believes that the team’s failure to secure silverware unfairly coloured the perception of Dessers’ performance.
What Philippe Clement said about Cyriel Dessers
Highlighting the unfair treatment of his striker, Clement told BBC Scotland, via Daily Record; “I think Cyriel gets abused like nobody else in the club, or on the pitch at least.
“But he was always there to work hard and to do everything for the club every day, every training, every game.”
“Also in this period in his career, he never scored as many goals as he did at Rangers for the teams he played for in the past. So in the end, he performed really well with his qualities.
“If he’d played in a team that had won the league, then he would be for everybody a good player.
“But if you don’t win the league then you are not a good player anymore. That’s life at Rangers.
“It’s only as a club you need to see two things; you need to look at this rationally and not emotionally.”
For Dessers, the 2024/2025 season may not have brought team collective success, but it was without any shadow of a doubt a personal triumph, one that in time, may be seen in a different light.