Rangers Face Chermiti Injury Blow as Driouech Deal Approaches

Rangers’ season absorbed a brutal twist at Ibrox on Sunday. The defeat to Hibernian stung, but the sight of Youssef Chermiti being carried off on a stretcher cut far deeper.

The 22-year-old striker has suffered an ACL injury and will be out for “a significant period of time” after a freak collision with the pitchside boards in the first half. He left the stadium in a protective boot, his knee locked in a brace, and with it went a large chunk of Rangers’ attacking threat.

Only hours earlier, the narrative around Chermiti had been very different. Rangers had knocked back a big-money bid from Galatasaray, a firm show of intent over a forward they see as central to their project and worth more than any fee previously banked by the club.

Now they must plan without him.

From record value to cruel setback

Chermiti arrived from Everton last summer in a deal worth up to £10m and quickly justified the outlay. Fifteen goals and five assists across all competitions in his first campaign at Ibrox turned him into one of the most valuable assets in Scottish football.

Those numbers, his age and his ceiling prompted the Ibrox hierarchy to rate him above the club-record sale of Calvin Bassey, who joined Ajax for an initial £19.6m in 2023. Galatasaray tested that stance. Rangers stood firm.

On Sunday, as Hibs left Glasgow with three points and Derek McInnes remained winless after his first three games in charge, the manager’s concern was not the transfer market, but the player.

“Disappointed for the big fella that he has to come off on a stretcher,” McInnes said after the match. “I thought he was looking bright and running gaps. 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 bullied into selling. The problem now is different. They must find a way to replace his presence, his movement, and his goals while he recovers from one of the most feared injuries in the game.

Driouech closing in as Rangers reshape attack

The timing of the blow throws extra spotlight on the club’s recruitment drive. Rangers have already made nine signings this summer, and that tally is expected to hit double figures within days.

A £6.5m deal is in place for winger Couhaib Driouech from PSV Eindhoven, with the 21-year-old completing his medical and paperwork ahead of a move to Ibrox. Burnley and Celta Vigo had also tracked him, but Rangers have moved decisively.

Driouech’s output in the Netherlands hints at why. He has scored 12 goals in 61 games for PSV, three of them in the Champions League last season, and added 10 assists. Born in Holland, he came through spells at Heerenveen and Excelsior before breaking through at PSV and has already been capped by Morocco at U23 level.

He is not a like-for-like replacement for Chermiti, but he does bring pace, direct running and end product from wide areas – qualities Rangers will lean on heavily while their No 9 rebuilds his knee and his confidence.

Boardroom intent and a defensive rebuild

The transfer push is not stopping there. At the club’s shareholder meeting on Monday, chairman Andrew Cavenagh confirmed Rangers intend to add between three and five more players before the window shuts.

The backline sits near the top of that to-do list. With Scotland’s transfer deadline set for 5pm on September 3, the club are working through options to strengthen both full-back positions.

Aston Villa right-back Kosta Nedeljkovic has emerged as a possible target after initial talks, while Hugo Siquet of Club Brugge is also under consideration. On the opposite flank, Rangers have held discussions over a move for former Hearts left-back James Penrice, now at AEK in Greece.

The picture is clear: a squad in transition, a manager still searching for his first win, and a marquee striker suddenly ruled out for months.

Rangers wanted to spend this window building around Youssef Chermiti. Now the question is sharper, and far more unforgiving: can they rebuild quickly enough without him to keep their season on track?