“Rangers’ Costly Transfer, Summer Signings Fail to Deliver”
Jose Cifuentes was one of Michael Beale’s high-profile signings during a costly recruitment summer at Rangers last year.
The 25-year-old Ecuadorian World Cup player had one of the longest transfer sagas of the window, with Rangers finally securing his signing in early August 2023 for around £1 million from MLS side LAFC.
Despite initial excitement, Cifuentes struggled in Glasgow and was loaned to Brazilian club Cruzeiro in January. Six months into the year-long loan, his performance in Belo Horizonte has been disappointing.
Cruzeiro holds a £2 million option to buy Cifuentes, who returned to Brazil after the Copa America. He is running out of time to secure a permanent move.
Cifuentes missed eight Brazilian Serie A games due to Ecuador’s Copa America campaign but did not play in the tournament, as Ecuador was eliminated by Argentina in the quarter-finals.
The past year has not gone as planned for Cifuentes. Before the Copa America, he also failed to make an impact at Cruzeiro, starting only one league game since January. His playing time has been mostly in the Copa Sudamericana and from the bench in the Campeonato Mineiro.
Brazilian publication O Tempo reported that Cifuentes is back training at Cruzeiro, trying to justify the loan option with Rangers. However, in 18 matches under manager Fernando Seabra, he has played only 179 minutes, averaging less than 10 minutes per game.
The situation with Cifuentes is another issue stemming from Michael Beale’s expensive transfer window last summer.
The former Ibrox assistant was given a £21 million transfer budget to build a title-winning squad, but the team struggled to perform under his management.
After a brief improvement under new manager Philippe Clement, the team faltered at the end of the season, leading to disappointing results.
Notably, all of the club’s expensive signings from last summer have faced criticism.
Danilo, the most expensive at £6 million, spent most of the season injured but is expected to make a significant impact as he returns from injury for the new season.
Sam Lammers is notably absent from the club’s Dutch training camp, with the club reportedly set to incur a £1 million loss on him.
Cyriel Dessers, bought for £4.5 million, has also faced criticism from Rangers fans and is now the subject of exit reports.
Adding to the woes, Jose Cifuentes’ transfer has been unsuccessful. If he doesn’t improve at Cruzeiro, he may return to Rangers in January.
Cifuentes signed an £11,000 per week contract until 2027 just last summer.