“Another level” Rangers signing was set up to fail, no wonder he left: Opinion.
Rangers fans enjoyed an exciting summer as new signings arrived from all around Europe and beyond, with Jose Cifuentes being one of the most highly awaited.
In a move for roughly £1.2 million, Michael Beale signed the Ecuador international, who was valued at up to £6 million by Premier League clubs. He was already a star for both club and country.
After leaving Rangers, it’s clear that Jose Cifuentes has not met expectations, but were they fair?
Rangers set Jose Cifuentes up to fail
The former Gers manager praised the 24-year-old for his versatility and ability to play as a number six or box-to-box number eight.
This was the first red flag.
His assistant manager at Los Angeles FC had a different perspective on how to get the most out of him.
Marc dos Santos believes Cifuentes would excel as an attacking midfielder or number ten.
The second red warning came shortly before his arrival from the US, when Beale stated:
“I’ve been on the phone and watching him work. We are excited to have him here, but we will see when he arrives and settles in with the squad. “He’s a player who can take us to the next level.”
So, the manager told us that we were getting a virtual world beater and that Rangers were finally going to see the ball carrying, technically excellent midfield general that we had been missing since Steven Davis got injured.
The reality was entirely different.
Jose Cifuentes wasn’t a poor player for the Rangers, but he didn’t have the impact we were hoping for.
He was okay.
Fans could have been more patient with Cifu if he hadn’t been given such a long buildup.
Moving to Cruzeiro makes sense, and despite his brief stay, he may have recognized that there are sections of Europe where he will struggle to play his best football.
It is a loan with a buy option, so if he does well, he will not return; yet, if he does, we will know not to place unreasonable expectations on a player who never had a chance.
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