More mainstream embarrassment as latest flop leaves Ibrox

Jose Cifuentes has left Ibrox to join Aris Thessaloniki on loan with an OPTION to buy, not an obligation.

Over the last few weeks the usual cheerleaders led by the Daily Record and Rangers Review have been crowing about a £4m obligation in the loan deal despite knowing that ARIS spent a total of £100,000 on 27 players last season.

That was despite selling Luis Palma to Celtic for £3.5m, clearly they are a club that sells but doesn’t pay out to bring players in, much like St Mirren, Kilmarnock and Motherwell.

A year ago Cifuentes was apparently the last piece in Micky Beale’s transfer jigsaw, signed from Los Angeles accompanied with comparisons to Rodri and N’Golo Kante.

The Ecuador internationalist went straight into the team on arrival, instantly looking like a fish out of water as Beale’s Champions League ambitions crashed into reality with a 5-1 defeat away to PSV Eindhoven.

The Brains Behind Gerrard survived another month in charge, when he was replaced by Phil Clement the former Monaco boss decided after nine appearances to send Cifuentes out on loan to Cruzeiro of Brazil.

Cifuentes lasted 182 minutes in Brazil before Cruzeiro decided that they had been sold a pup.

Without as much as a training session at Murray Park a further loan was set up with full wages of £1m/year being paid while he is out in Greece.

Playing in the USA, Scotland, Brazil and Greece over a 14 month spell is unlikely to help the players development but with a contract running until May 2028 that is more of a problem for the employer than the player.

A month on from admitting that every player is up for sale with the exception of £30m rated Jack Butland there is little movement out of Clement’s squad.

Connor Goldson and Sam Lammers have moved on for undisclosed fees, as the Cifuentes example shows clubs and agents are well aware of the Fire Sale conditions in play at Ibrox.

Regardless of results in Europe a massive effort is underway to take £10m off the wage bill with Clement left to pick up the pieces and deliver results to the Gullible & Deluded.

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