In an absolutely astonishing twist in January’s transfer window that no Rangers fan saw coming, Rangers rejected three bids for three players. This included a major Youssef Chermiti bid.
The bids on the table
We have already discussed the bid for Djeidi Gassama, which we will analyse more in a separate piece. We will also discuss the situation over Emmanuel Fernandez. However, the one that really jumps out is, of course, Youssef Chermiti.
The Chermiti shock
Astonishingly, the club has not only received a bid for the Portuguese striker but rejected it. Incredibly, that bid is over £13M. Many fans have been questioning this bid, given Chermiti’s start to the season, which is, in a word, pathetic.
It comes from the Turks’ manager Dominic Tedesco who is said to be a big admirer of the Portuguese forward.
The financial context
There is certainly little return on the £10M that Kevin Thelwell misguidedly invested in the former Sporting striker. However, the fact that the Turks have not only bid for Chermiti but bid considerably more than Rangers paid will certainly have Kevin Thelwell smugly smiling.
Thelwell’s old claim
This follows what he said in a historic press conference. The former sporting director at Ibrox explained that Chermiti’s value would go up. He even suggested he could be worth £30M one day.
Fan disbelief
Not a single fan was buying that. However, not only has there been that double at Parkhead, but this current bid seems to have Thelwell slightly vindicated after all.
Fenerbahce return
The funny thing is that we understand Fenerbahce are coming back in with another bid. Now, the big question, of course, is how Rangers fans feel about this.
Poll reaction
As per usual, Ibrox Noise put a poll out to gain some reaction. This was done to gauge opinion on the situation. The comments and the votes always differ. We have always noticed that with polls.
Comments versus votes
This applies regardless of whether they are on Ibrox Noise or anywhere else. The comments were all in favour of what the club had done. Every single comment, give or take, suggested the club had done the right thing.
The numbers tell another story
The poll, however, disagreed entirely. Seventy five percent of the votes believed the club had made the wrong move. They believed the player should have been sold.
The replacement issue
The problem with selling him, which Ibrox Noise would also acknowledge, is timing. At this point in the window, who would the club replace him with?
A twist to come
There is a little twist on that one. We will explain it in a separate article. Nevertheless, 77% of Rangers fans disagreed with what the club had done.
A possible masterstroke
We do, however, suspect the club might be playing a blinder. The Turks really want Chermiti and we understand are willing to return with a higher bid.
What happens next
Rangers are braced for a bid closer to £18M for the player. This could be a shrewd piece of business by those at the top. Time will tell what really happens. What an unexpected bid that was.