Rangers Face Injury Blow as Youssef Chermiti Out with ACL Injury
Rangers have been dealt a brutal early-season blow, with Youssef Chermiti facing “a significant period of time” on the sidelines after suffering an ACL injury in Sunday’s defeat to Hibernian at Ibrox.
The 22-year-old forward crashed into the pitchside boards in the first half and immediately signalled trouble. He was stretchered off, then later left the stadium in a protective boot with his knee strapped in a brace. Any faint hope of a minor knock quickly disappeared.
The timing could hardly be worse. Only hours earlier, it emerged Rangers had knocked back a big-money bid from Galatasaray for the striker, underlining how central he has become to their plans.
From £10m project to prized asset
Chermiti arrived from Everton last summer in a deal worth up to £10m, a sizeable outlay and a clear statement that Rangers were betting big on his development. He repaid that faith with 15 goals and five assists across all competitions in his debut campaign, his mix of power, movement and penalty-box instinct turning him into one of the most valuable players in the squad.
Those numbers have pushed his valuation into rare territory for the club. Ibrox decision-makers now rate him above the record fee received for Calvin Bassey, who joined Ajax for an initial £19.6m in 2023. In a market where Rangers increasingly need to trade smart, Chermiti had become both on-field talisman and off-field asset.
That made the sight of him being carried off all the more jarring.
Speaking after the loss to Hibs, which leaves Derek McInnes still searching for his first win in three games as Rangers manager, the new boss did not hide his frustration at losing his main striker so early.
“Disappointed for the big fella that he has to come off on a stretcher. I thought he was looking bright and running gaps,” McInnes said. “He played with a bit of purpose and there's no doubt we missed that, but he's left in a boot and his knee in a brace.
“It's no surprise that he's a player who's got a big tag on him and he's got high potential, but thankfully he's our player and that will continue to be the case.”
The message was clear: Rangers will not be rushed into cashing in, even as they now face the challenge of coping without him for a lengthy spell.
Driouech deal close as rebuild continues
The injury casts a shadow, but it does not halt the recruitment drive. Rangers have already made nine signings this summer and are on the brink of a tenth, with winger Couhaib Driouech set to arrive from PSV Eindhoven in a £6.5m deal.
Driouech is in the final stages of his move, completing medical tests and paperwork before heading to Ibrox. Burnley and Celta Vigo had both shown interest, but Rangers have pushed the deal over the line.
The 21-year-old brings genuine end product. He has scored 12 goals in 61 games for PSV, including three in the Champions League last season, and added 10 assists. Born in Holland, he previously featured for Heerenveen and Excelsior and has been capped by Morocco at U23 level, giving McInnes a versatile wide option with European experience.
With Chermiti out, the need for attacking variety grows. Driouech’s arrival cannot replace the striker’s presence through the middle, but it does offer more threat from the flanks and another way to stretch defences that have, so far, handled Rangers too comfortably.
Defence next on the agenda
The rebuild will not stop there. At the club’s shareholder meeting on Monday, chairman Andrew Cavenagh confirmed Rangers are targeting between three and five more signings before the window closes, with the backline high on the list to be reinforced before Scotland’s 5pm deadline on September 3.
Options are already being explored. Aston Villa right-back Kosta Nedeljkovic has emerged as a possible recruit after initial talks, while Hugo Siquet of Club Brugge is also under consideration. On the left, former Hearts defender James Penrice, now with AEK, has been discussed as another potential addition.
It paints a picture of a squad still in transition: new manager, double-figure signings, key areas still to be addressed. Now they must navigate that process without their main centre-forward.
For Rangers, the summer was supposed to be about building a side around Youssef Chermiti. The task now is harsher and more complex: keep moving, keep recruiting, and find a way to compete while their most valuable striker watches from the treatment room.
