Ally McCoist names two favourites Rangers should have brought back over big-money Youssef Chermiti gamble
Ally McCoist has picked out two former Rangers fan favourites who should have made a return to the Ibrox instead of risking big money on Youssef Chermiti.
Russell Martin has been branded a “dead man walking” at Rangers after a shambolic defeat to Hearts on the weekend (13 September).
Former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett exclusively told Football Insider on 15 September that Mohamed Diomande’s penalty-creating error for Rangers against Hearts gave the referee an easy decision as they loss 2-0.
This only exacerbated issues for the Gers boss as Martin left his Rangers future uncertain after losing to Hearts.
With several players underwhelming at the Ibrox, ex-Teddy Bears forward McCoist believes the club should have turned to familiar faces instead of gambling on former Everton striker Chermiti.
Abdallah Sima and Vaclav Cerny should have been re-signed for Rangers says Ally McCoist
Discussing the horrendous state of the Gers on talkSPORT (15 September), the player turned pundit questioned the decision to sign the Portuguese striker.
Instead, McCoist felt the club should have gone back to successful loanees Abdallah Sima and Vaclav Cerny who both impressed in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons respectively.
The Scotsman stated: “Straight away you spend £9-10million on a lad, Chermiti, who’s going to be a gamble and I’m thinking to myself, I don’t care what anybody says… I would’ve went and got Sima and extended Cerny.
“Two players that, you know, you’ve watched, can perform at Rangers, have done well at Rangers, know the league, know the club, instead of taking another gamble.”
Abdallah Sima and Vaclac Cerny precisely what Rangers need right now
The attacking duo were both potent during their spells in Glasgow and I would imagine the former Southampton manager would greatly appreciate their services as of now.
In the 2023-24 campaign, the Senegalese netted 15 goals in 34 matches in all competitions as well as picking up two assists.
The Czech winger was an ever-present for Rangers last season as he notched 18 goals across the campaign including a goal every two games in the Europa League.
| Youssef Chermiti 2024-25 record | |
| Appearances | 5 |
| Minutes played | 113 |
| Goals | 0 |
| Assists | 0 |
In contrast, in the Scottish Premiership the Gers striker have failed to hit the target so far which is proving to be a major concern for Martin.
Despite netting in the Champions League against Viktoria Plzen, Cyriel Dessers was sold to Greek side Panathinaikos with his replacement Bojan Miovski struggling to adapt to the league.
Chermiti will be eager to impress his new boss but I fear that, similar to his shakiness on Merseyside, the Portuguese will fail once again away from his home country.