Rangers Face Selection Crisis After Chermiti Injury
Derek McInnes admits Rangers are “playing with fire” at the back and scrambling for a new No 9 after a brutal injury blow to Youssef Chermiti deepened a growing selection crisis.
The 22-year-old striker suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in Saturday’s defeat by Hibernian, just hours after McInnes revealed a significant bid for the Portugal Under-21 forward had been knocked back. Galatasaray have been heavily linked with the former Everton man, but any move is now off the table as Chermiti faces a long spell out.
He will see a specialist in London, with surgery likely next week.
For McInnes, the timing could hardly be worse. Chermiti was central to his plans.
“Selfishly, he's a big part of what we wanted to do this season and he's obviously a talented boy,” the Rangers manager said, admitting the scale of the setback. For the player himself, still at the start of his career, it is a harsh early test. “It'll be difficult for him to accept and understand what's happened to him,” McInnes added.
The only sliver of good news? The injury has landed while the transfer window is still open.
“The only saving grace from our point of view as a club is the fact it's happened in a transfer window and we've got the opportunity to react to that,” McInnes said. “We are obviously looking at maybe strengthening that area of the pitch. We're trying to be quite proactive with that and seeing what is available. Number nines are normally the most difficult ones to get.”
The manager admitted he does not know the exact size of the rejected offer for Chermiti, only that “it was a big number” and that the club chose to turn it down. “It's neither here nor there now, to be honest. It's done,” he said, the irony not lost on anyone.
Defensive depth stretched thin
Chermiti is not the only casualty from the Hibs defeat. Left-back Tuur Rommens has been ruled out for up to eight weeks with a groin injury suffered in the same match, stripping McInnes of his only natural left-sided defender.
That absence exposes a long-standing concern.
“We don't have a left-footed defender in the building. We're keen to try and get that resolved as quickly as possible,” McInnes said. “With the numbers we've got there, we are kind of playing with fire. Defensively, it's always been a bit of a concern. I always thought we were short of numbers there.”
The priority list is clear: a striker to replace Chermiti’s presence, a left-back to plug the obvious gap, and fresh legs out wide.
“Strengthening defensively and in wide areas was the priority,” McInnes explained. “We all know what we need but acting really swiftly would help matters. We're trying to bring wingers in. It's in the hands of the recruitment team to try and get that over the line. Nothing's been finalised with anything yet.”
Targets identified as Europa test looms
Names are already circling. Brentford’s 20-year-old left-back Jayden Meghoma, who spent last season on loan at Ibrox, has been linked with a return for a second spell. PSV Eindhoven winger Couhaib Driouech is another prominent name, with a permanent deal heavily touted.
On Driouech, McInnes acknowledged talks are advanced, but not done.
“We've been linked with a lot of players. That one's gained a bit of momentum and we are quite far down the line with that but I don't know where it's at currently. All these things are still ongoing,” he said.
All of this unfolds against the backdrop of a pivotal European night. Rangers host Jagiellonia Bialystok on Thursday in the second leg of their Europa League third-round qualifier, trailing 2-1 from the first leg and needing a big performance at Ibrox to keep their continental campaign alive.
Injuries have stripped back the options. The recruitment team are racing the clock. McInnes knows exactly what he needs — now the question is whether Rangers can deliver it in time to keep their season on track.
