GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - DECEMBER 17: Philippe Clement, Manager of Rangers, celebrates victory at full-time following the Viaplay Cup Final match between Rangers and Aberdeen at Hampden Park on December 17, 2023 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
As new Rangers signing Vaclav Cerny cut in from the right hand side of the pitch v Motherwell, you almost felt like shedding a tear.
And not just because the Czech international winger just rasped a left-footed stunner past Motherwell goalkeeper Aston Jay Oxborough.
It was a match-winning moment in the first half which encapsulated why Rangers were so eager to sign the 26-year-old winger.
A la Arjen Robben, it was also the first time we’ve seen a right-winger with such quality take the game by the scruff of the net in a very long time.
Rangers have been crying out for a hero off the right for what feels like a generation. Now the club might finally have found it in the shape of Vaclav Cerny.Clement talks up Cerny deal
It’s not just Rangers fans who’re excited about the prospect of Vaclav Cerny at Ibrox.
Philippe Clement knows all about the former Ajax winger’s qualities and claims that he fought tooth and nail to bring the winger to Glasgow.
What’s more, as Clement spoke after the 2-1 win over Motherwell, the Rangers manager suggested that the best is also very much to come.
“That’s why we made also the fights to get him here and to convince him to come here because there were a lot of teams interested.
“He’s somebody with experience who knows to find the right spaces when you train on things, when you show things on video, what he showed today.
“He has a good connection with the other players around him and he can be decisive with assists like he did (v Dynamo Kiev) or with goals as he did (v Motherwell).
“So he’s going to be a big asset for the club. It’s now about looking at the player minutes, how much he can take. “(It’s) what we expect of him and that’s why we got him,” Clement told Sky Sports.
“Because he’s played the Euros, he’s had four weeks of holiday after and he’s just started with us.”
Rangers solve long-standing issue
Vaclav Cerny’s signing could prove to be a master stroke by the time the season comes to an end.
This is an international attacker who only last season cost parent club Wolfsburg the guts of £7m (€8m) to bring from his home in the Eredivisie with FC Twente.
A product of the famed Ajax youth academy, Cerny already has links with a few members of the Rangers squad and there is a good feeling building around the attacker.
It’s clear he still has some way to go to get up to full fitness, but if Rangers can keep the winger fit and add to our options on the other side things certainly start to look brighter at Ibrox.
After years of uninspiring options off the right-hand side, we may have finally found a solution.
