By Wale Mustapha
Nigerian striker Cyril Dessers is reportedly drawing attention from French Ligue 1 club Saint-Étienne ahead of the January transfer window.
Dessers, 30, has found it difficult to secure regular playing time at Rangers due to the outstanding form of Hamza Igamane, who has netted five goals in his last six appearances.
Additionally, the return of Danilo from injury has further limited Dessers’ opportunities, pushing him further down the pecking order.
Despite an impressive scoring record, having netted 12 goals in all competitions for Rangers this season, Dessers has struggled to win over a large section of the club’s fanbase. This has led to increasing speculation about his future.
According to French outlet Le Républicain Sportif, Saint-Étienne is keen on signing the Super Eagles forward and is preparing to launch a bid in the upcoming transfer window.
Rangers, however, are expected to demand a fee of around £3.5 million for Dessers, who is under contract with the club until 2027.
With a potential move to Ligue 1 on the horizon, Dessers’ next steps could determine his future in European football.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
