Glasgow Rangers are currently attempting to land their next head coach to take on the job at Ibrox after Michael Beale was relieved of his duties earlier this month.
The Scottish giants are in the market for a new manager after the English tactician failed to bring tangible success over the course of his tenure at the club.
Rangers are already seven points adrift of the top of the Scottish Premiership table and failed to qualify for the group stages of the Champions League under their former boss.
Matches
Five
Wins
Two
Draws
Two
Losses
One
Whoever chairman John Bennett and chief executive James Bisgrove decide to hire will arrive with an uphill task to get the Light Blues back on track in order to compete for major honours this season.
They will also have a job on their hands to unlock or get the best out of the numerous signings who have struggled so far; including Belgian striker Cyriel Dessers.
What's the latest on Philippe Clement to Rangers?
Nieuwsblad recently reported that the Gers have made a contract offer to former Club Brugge tactician Philippe Clement and he could rock Ibrox by unlocking the summer signing's goalscoring potential.
The Glasgow outfit are said to have sent their proposal to the out-of-contract manager and he is now in 'pole position' to become Beale's eventual replacement before the end of the international break.
The report from Nieuwsblad also claimed that the Belgian tinkerer is expected to turn down the opportunity to go to the Saudi Pro League with Al Shabab, despite talks with the team last week.
Would Clement be a good appointment?
On paper, the 49-year-old boss has the potential to be an excellent appointment by Bisgrove and Bennett if he can translate his success in Belgium over to Scottish football.
Clement won an impressive three league titles in three seasons between the 2018/19 and 2020/21 campaigns with Genk and Club Brugge and has lifted four Pro League trophies throughout his managerial career in total.
The former Monaco chief also has an impressive record in qualifying matches for European competitions, which is where Beale struggled earlier this season for the Gers.
He has won nine and lost one of his 12 qualifiers, for the Champions League and the Europa League combined, and this shows that the Belgian mastermind knows what it takes to be successful at that level.
These statistics suggest that Clement could come in as a big upgrade on Beale, who has not won a single trophy throughout his managerial career to date and has no track record of being able to coach a winning side.
The 4-4-2 tactician has, on the other hand, showcased his ability to win league titles and achieve relative success in Europe at multiple clubs, with titles in charge of both Genk and Brugge.
Therefore, Clement could be a fantastic appoint by the Scottish giants if he accepts the offer that is reportedly on the table from the club.
Getting the best out of Dessers could be one of the first priorities for the 49-year-old boss if he does take charge of the Gers, as the striker has struggled this season.
How much did Rangers pay for Dessers?
The Scottish giants reportedly agreed a deal worth £4.5m to sign the Belgian centre-forward from Italian side Cremonese after they were relegated from the Serie A last season.
They brought him in off the back of a fairly underwhelming season in the top-flight of football in Italy as his side failed to avoid the drop-down to Serie B.
Dessers produced six goals and two assists in 26 league appearances for the club throughout the campaign and missed five 'big chances' in total.
The Nigeria international's lack of physicality was also a concern as opposition players got the better of him in 70% of his duels and 75% of his aerial contests, which suggests that the experienced forward was too weak for the Serie A.
How many goals has Dessers scored this season?
Dessers' lack of consistent quality at the top end of the pitch has carried over into the current campaign as he has only scored three goals in 15 appearances for the Gers.
His Scottish Premiership form has been a particular cause for concern. The 28-year-old marksman has produced one goal and zero assists in eight league outings for the Light Blues and lost a staggering 81% of his duels on the ground in that time, as per Sofascore.
Three of his six goal contributions for the club came in his four Champions League qualifying appearances earlier this season, which included one goal and two assists.
What's next for Dessers?
Journalist Dean Jones claimed, in August, that Dessers could go on to become a "cult hero" for Rangers if he is able to turn his form around over the months or years to come.
Clement could, therefore, rock Ibrox and impress supporters by fulfilling this prediction and helping the ex-Genk striker find his feet at this level.
He favours a 4-4-2 system and this means that Dessers could play alongside another forward and thrive away from being the main focal point for the side, which the Nigerian flop has clearly struggled with as he does not have the physicality to consistently compete and win duels against defenders.
Playing as part of a front two could allow him to focus solely on his movement off the ball to find the space to score and create goals.
His form for Feyenoord during the 2021/22 campaign suggests that the quality is there for him to turn his fortunes around at Ibrox if Clement's system can get the best out of him.
Dessers produced a sensational ten goals and one assist in seven Europa Conference League starts and managed nine goals in nine Eredivisie starts for the Dutch side, as per Sofascore.
No Rangers striker managed more than 14 league goals for the Gers last term and the ex-Cremonese forward's goal record for Feyenoord suggests that the forward, who also scored 29 goals in 40 matches for NAC Breda earlier in his career, could be a lethal scorer for the Scottish giants if he can get back to those levels.
Therefore, Clement could get supporters at Ibrox rocking with joy if they start to see the 6 foot 1 finisher firing in the goals on a regular basis in a 4-4-2 set-up.