Cyriel Dessers: Rangers sign Nigeria striker from Cremonese for undisclosed fee
Last updated on .From the section Rangers
Rangers have signed Nigeria striker Cyriel Dessers from Cremonese for an undisclosed fee.
The Belgium-born 28-year-old, who has four international caps, has signed a four-year deal with the Scottish Premiership club.
Dessers had been under contract with relegated Cremonese until summer 2027.
Rangers manager Michael Beale told his club website: "Cyriel pushed extremely hard to make this transfer a reality and showed a huge desire to come here."
Dessers joined the Italian outfit from Genk in August after scoring three goals in his final two games in the Belgian top flight and went on to score seven times in 29 appearances last season in Italy's Serie A.
"He brings a lot of experience from playing in Holland, Belgium and Italy, as well as in European competitions," Beale said. "We were looking for a very specific profile and believe that Cyriel will give us a variety of qualities both in and out of possession.
"At 28-years-old, he is at a good age and will bring personality and leadership to our team."
Dessers started his career with Belgian clubs Leuven and Lokeren before moving to the Netherlands with Breda, Utrecht and Heracles Almelo then returning to the land of his birth with Genk in 2020.
Having failed to become a regular starter, he was loaned to Feyenoord.
Despite 24 of his 42 appearances coming from the bench, Dessers scored 20 goals, including 10 in the Europa Conference League, but the Dutch club decided against exercising an option to buy.
The striker said it is "a big relief to finally" join Rangers.
"There have been some long days and some stressful days, but it is a great feeling to finally be here," Dessers added. "The history of the club, the fans, the stadium, it's massive, but next to that I look at what is here at this moment.
"I had really good talks with Michael Beale about his plans, the ideas of what he wants on and off the pitch and I thought that could be a really good fit for me and for the team."
- Visit our Rangers page for all the latest news, analysis and fan views
- You can now get Rangers news notifications in the BBC Sport app - find out more
- Our coverage of Rangers is bigger and better than ever before - here's everything you need to know to make sure you never miss a moment
- Everything Rangers - go straight to all the best content
