Rangers Striker Chermiti Faces Long Injury Layoff as Driouech Deal Advances

Youssef Chermiti’s season has been ripped apart before it ever really began.

Rangers’ main striker has suffered an ACL injury and will be missing for “a significant period of time” after a sickening collision with the pitchside boards in Sunday’s defeat to Hibernian at Ibrox.

The 22-year-old went down in the first half, his momentum carrying him off the pitch and into the advertising hoardings. He was stretchered off, then later left the stadium in a protective boot with his knee strapped in a brace. Any early hope faded quickly. This is serious.

The timing could hardly be more brutal. Just hours earlier, it had emerged Rangers had knocked back a big-money offer from Galatasaray for the forward, whose stock has soared since arriving from Everton last summer in a deal worth up to £10m.

Chermiti, capped by Portugal at U21 level, hit 15 goals and supplied five assists across all competitions last season. Those numbers, and his trajectory, convinced the Ibrox hierarchy to value him above the club-record fee banked for Calvin Bassey, who joined Ajax for an initial £19.6m in 2023.

Now that prized asset is on the treatment table.

Speaking after the Hibs loss, which leaves Derek McInnes still searching for his first win as Rangers manager after three games, the Rangers boss cut a frustrated figure as he assessed the damage to both result and squad.

“Disappointed for the big fella that he has to come off on a stretcher. I thought he was looking bright and running gaps,” he said. “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.”

Rangers must now find a way to cope without their focal point in attack, just as the season’s demands begin to tighten and the transfer window ticks towards its conclusion.

Driouech on the way as rebuild continues

The blow to Chermiti lands in the middle of a frantic summer of change at Ibrox. Rangers have already brought in nine new faces, and the recruitment drive is far from over.

A £6.5m agreement is in place for winger Couhaib Driouech from PSV Eindhoven, with the wide man undergoing his medical and finalising paperwork ahead of his move to Glasgow.

Rangers have had to move decisively. Burnley and Celta Vigo also circled around Driouech, whose numbers in Eindhoven underline why he attracted attention: 12 goals in 61 appearances for PSV, three of them in last season’s Champions League, along with 10 assists.

Born in Holland, Driouech came through at Heerenveen and Excelsior before breaking through at PSV, and has already been capped by Morocco at U23 level. For a Rangers side suddenly stripped of its main striker, his arrival offers pace, direct running and end product from wide areas – qualities that now feel even more valuable.

The recruitment drive will not stop there. At the club’s shareholder meeting on Monday, chairman Andrew Cavenagh confirmed Rangers are targeting between three and five further signings before the window closes.

The defence sits near the top of that list.

With Scotland’s transfer deadline set for 5pm on September 3, Rangers are exploring options to reinforce the backline. Aston Villa right-back Kosta Nedeljkovic has emerged as a possible addition after initial talks, while Hugo Siquet of Club Brugge is also under consideration.

On the left, Rangers have held discussions over a move for former Hearts full-back James Penrice, currently with AEK in Greece, as they look to add depth and competition on both flanks.

Chermiti’s injury changes the mood, but not the scale of the club’s ambition. A squad already being reshaped now has to absorb the loss of its most valuable forward while new signings are ushered through the door.

The question is no longer just who Rangers can bring in before September 3 – it’s whether this rebuilt side can absorb such a heavy early setback and still mount the kind of season their spending demands.