After three straight losses, Glasgow Rangers ended their losing streak on Sunday at Hampden, securing their place in the 2024 Scottish Cup final.
Hearts were defeated 2-0 as the Light Blues were at ease for significant stretches of the match. Compared to the club’s previous two Premiership games, which saw them behind Celtic by three points, this performance was significantly better.
At the national stadium, Cyriel Dessers was the hero as he scored two brilliant goals to advance Rangers to their first Scottish Cup final versus Celtic since 2002. That occasion, a last-second goal by Peter Lovenkrands gave the Glasgow team in blue a 3-2 victory.
Even though the team gave a strong effort and a few players who were under pressure rose to the occasion, Abdullah Sima’s injury, which appeared to be a hamstring strain, caused him to leave the game after just 15 minutes.
Sima’s injury won’t be expected to keep Philippe Clement off the field for too long, especially given his performance this season.
Rangers player Abdallah Sima’s statistics
Sima was brought to Glasgow last summer by manager Michael Beale, who signed him to a season-long loan from Brighton & Hove Albion.
The decision was undoubtedly wise. The 22-year-old winger has made 16 goals and two assists in 38 outings for the Light Blues, despite missing 14 games due to an injury he sustained while playing for Senegal on international duty in January.
If he had stayed fit, there’s no doubt he would have crossed the 20 goal mark by now. His impact was evident in the most recent match against Celtic, where he scored an equalizer in the second half after substituting, and it is imperative that he remains healthy for the championship run-in.
He’ll be back in Brighton this summer, but given his significance for the team this year, should Clement try to negotiate a long-term contract for the kid?
Market value of Abdallah Sima in 2024
The Senegalese winger’s expected transfer value, or xTV model, is £6.6 million according to Football Transfers. If he makes a full recovery in time to participate in the season’s final six games, this worth could increase between now and the opening of the summer transfer window.
If Sima is available for a reasonable price, Clement might not have much money to deal with during the summer unless he ships off a few players. Still, he could be a valuable addition to the team.
Rangers may need to spend £6 million or more to sign him, depending on his current valuation, which puts them just a little bit beyond their budget.
It’s a fair market value given his performances, but the Rangers sold Gennaro Guttuso in 1998 for a player who was worth more than twice as much as Sima when converted to 2024 dollars.
When Gennaro Gattuso joined the Rangers
After leading Rangers to nine consecutive league victories in the 1996–1997 season, the late, great Walter Smith was hoping to add more players to his club that summer in order to accomplish a feat never before accomplished by a Scottish team: ten titles in a row.
In an attempt to create history, Smith lavished the cash to sign Lorenzo Amoruso, Marco Negri, and Sergio Porrini, and there were plenty of incomings that summer.
Gattuso was also signed; he was brought in for nothing after having played for Perugia in the past, but his immense talent made it seem like he may play a significant role in the club’s future.
The teenage player made 37 appearances and scored four goals in his only full season at Ibrox, but it was all in vain as they finished the season without a trophy for the first time since the 1980s.
Even though he started the next season with 11 appearances, it was clear Dick Advocaat wasn’t planning on keeping him around, and he was moved to Salernitana in his native country for over £4.2 million.
The transfer value of Gennaro Gattuso in 2024 currency
For a player who was obviously going to be passed over in favor of Advocaat’s own signings, this price constituted a respectable chunk of transfer money, and it turned out that the 5 foot 9 monster was the perfect fit for the Gers.
The transfer fee would be worth an astounding £18.2 million in 2024 (after Totally Money has taken inflation into account). This shows how great the sale was for the Dutchman.
In every season since 1992, Totally Money has acquired the top 100 most expensive transactions ever made in each of the top five European leagues. Equipped with an abundance of past financial records, they have computed the current value of former football players, accounting for the notable inflation rate.
But as the Italian midfielder started to excel for AC Milan a few years later, many of the Ibrox supporters must have wondered what would have occurred if the Gers had held onto him.
What followed Gennaro Gattuso’s departure from the Rangers
He joined Milan in 1999 and played 468 games for the team over the course of the following 13 seasons, during which he won every award that was possible, including two Serie A championships and two Champions League titles.
He played in six of Italy’s seven World Cup games in 2006, when they won the title for the fourth time in their history. Of course, he was also a member of that team.
The footballer established himself as a formidable tackler and someone who was not to be trifled with during a career full of highlights.
Journalist Jerry Mancini praised Gattuso’s on-field prowess, stating: “He was a great ball-winner and a tenacious tackler.” a fantastic leader who gave it all on the field.
Although it’s tempting to speculate as to what Gattuso may have accomplished if he had stayed in Glasgow for a few more years, Advocaat’s decision to let him go gave the team a considerable financial boost at the time.
Since returning to Italy in 1998, his worth has surpassed that of every Rangers player, demonstrating his exceptional skill. Over the next fifteen years, he undoubtedly lived up to his full potential for Milan and Italy.
GET MORE NEWS HERE
Leave a Reply