Why Vaclav Cerny is Scotland's main man as Rangers winger tops difference maker table
03/29/2025 06:00 AM
One of the biggest criticisms of Philippe Clement was that he often relied on chaos or a moment of magic to win games.
The former Rangers manager had found a game plan that worked against Celtic and had an exceptional record in the Europa League too.
The much-publicised problem, was that he couldn't figure out how to beat Scottish Premiership teams with a much lower budget and more physical style of play.
In terms of quality, the current Rangers squad still has a few gaps, but there is no excuse for not beating teams in the bottom six and in the Championship.
On too many occasions, he had to rely on Vaclav Cerny to pull Rangers through with one statistic showing just how important he is.
Vaclav Cerny proves he is the main man for Rangers
Reports of a £5.5m option to buy clause for Cerny have subsequently been rubbished, however, it is encouraging that Rangers have entered talks with Wolfsburg over a permanent deal.
With 17 goals and seven assists, the on-form winger has been a thorn in many a team's side.
Cerny's goal for the Czech Republic only served as a further reminder as to just how influential he can be.
In the Scottish Premiership, no player has made more of a difference than Cerny.
How this is measured is the timing of his goals with six of his league efforts being the difference between a draw and a defeat.
In second place is Celtic's Nicolas Khun.
When Cerny has been the difference:
- Matchday 2 (Home vs. Motherwell) – 24′, made it 2:1.
- Matchday 7 (Home vs. St. Johnstone) – 34′, made it 1:0.
- Matchday 9 (Home vs. St. Mirren) – 69′, made it 2:1.
- Matchday 18 (Home vs. Dundee) – 46′, made it 1:0.
- Matchday 23 (Home vs. St. Johnstone) – 20′, made it 2:0.
- Matchday 26 (Away vs. Hearts) – 61′, made it 1:2.
Who Rangers should sign if Cerny is too expensive
He doesn't just score goals, he scores important goals.
There is already enough evidence for Nils Koppen to go to the board, or the San Francisco 49ers, and urge them to put their hands into their pockets.
Very rarely is a transfer zero risk, but on this occasion, signing Cerny is a sure fire hit, not only that, he has admitted that he would be happy to stay at Rangers.
There is only one option if Cerny proves to be too expensive and Rangers face an Adam Idah situation like the one Celtic did.
With just a year left of his Brighton contract, Abdallah Sima will be moving on and would love nothing more than to return to Ibrox where he knows he will be well received, knows the squad, and knows what to expect.
The on-loan Brest forward wouldn't be cheap either, but quality rarely is.
