Rangers "monster" is fast becoming the new Cerny and he's not even a winger
Glasgow Rangers head coach Danny Rohl has been a breath of fresh air since the club decided to bring him in as the long-term successor to Russell Martin at Ibrox.
The German manager, who left Sheffield Wednesday in the summer, has won all three of his Scottish Premiership matches in charge of the Light Blues, after they had won one of the eight games in the division prior to his arrival.
Rangers ran out 3-0 winners against Dundee at Dens Park in the Premiership on Sunday in their last match before the international break, and two players scored their first league goals for the club.
Mikey Moore, who is on loan from Tottenham Hotspur, opened the scoring with a clinical finish into the bottom left corner from the edge of the box, before Djeidi Gassama scored a brilliant goal from distance in the second half.
It will be frustrating for the club that it has taken until the 11th game of the campaign for their first-choice wing pairing to score their first league goals of the season.
Moore and Gassama both need to add more consistency to their play in the final third so that they can begin to make up for the productivity that they lost when Vaclav Cerny left in the summer.
What Vaclav Cerny is up to since leaving Rangers
The Czechia international spent the 2024/25 campaign on loan with the Scottish giants from Bundesliga side Wolfsburg, and caught the eye with his impressive performances on the right flank.
During his time with the Light Blues, the left-footed attacker contributed with 18 goals and nine assists in all competitions, per Transfermarkt, which shows that he offered a consistent threat in the final third.
12 of those goals and four of those assists came in the Premiership, per Transfermarkt, and this means that Moore and Gassama both have a long way to go if they want to match his goal output this season.
After his loan spell came to an end, Rangers were either unwilling or unable to sign him permanently, and the 28-year-old forward signed for Turkish giants Besiktas for a fee of around £6m.
Since his permanent move to Turkey, the former Light Blues star, who had so much success as a loanee at Ibrox, has showcased his attacking quality in the Super Lig.
Appearances
8
xG
1.69
Goals
1
Key passes per game
1.6
Big chances created
3
Assists
4
As you can see in the table above, Cerny has been involved in five goals in eight games for Besiktas in the league so far, with an assist every other appearance on average.
These statistics suggest that the Light Blues messed up by not bringing him back to Ibrox on a permanent deal in the summer, as he is shining in Turkey, whilst the club’s current wide options have had slow starts to the 2025/26 campaign.
Gassama and Moore will need to step up their performances and provide more, in terms of goals and assists, in the coming months to prove that the Gers were right not to sign the Czechia international.
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Whilst Gassama and Moore are trying to emulate Cerny’s success in the final third, there is another Rangers star who is quickly becoming this season’s version of the ex-Wolfsburg man, and he is not a winger.
The Rangers star who is becoming Ibrox's new Vaclav Cerny
The Light Blues swooped to sign Derek Cornelius on loan from Marseille during the summer transfer window, and he has been an excellent addition to the squad so far.
Like Cerny, the left-footed star is an Ibrox loanee who is shining in Scottish football. He has been particularly impressive since Rohl came through the door to replace Martin in the dugout, proving his worth at the heart of the defence.
Despite being a centre-back, Cornelius, who was branded a “monster” by international teammate Richie Laryea, has scored as many goals as Gassama and Moore in the Premiership for the Light Blues, with his one league goal.
Defensively, the Canada international has also been very impressive. Per WhoScored, he ranks first among central defenders in the squad for tackles made per game (2.1) and clearances per game (6.3), which speaks to how aggressive his defending is and how impressive his positioning is defensively.
On top of that, Cornelius has won 67% of his ground duels and 61% of his aerial duels in the Premiership so far this season, per Sofascore, which shows that he has been incredibly dominant in physical battles with opposition forwards on the deck and in the air.
Minutes
82
Tackles won
3/3
Clearances
6
Ball recoveries
4
Ground duels won
3/3
Aerial duels won
4/4
Dribbled past
0x
Pass accuracy
93%
As you can see in the table above, the left-footed centre-back was virtually faultless defensively in the 3-0 win over Dundee on Sunday in the last match before the break, as he won 100% of his duels and was not dribbled past a single time.
Cornelius has started all three of Rohl’s league games in charge, which has seen Rangers win three times and concede one goal, and he won 13 out of 20 ground duels in those matches, per Sofascore.
These statistics suggest that he is on course to become the club’s new version of Cerny because he is a loanee at Ibrox who is already an incredibly important part of the team because of his fantastic performances.
Unlike Cerny, though, Rangers confirmed that they do have an option to sign the Canadian titan on a permanent deal at the end of the season for an undisclosed fee. This means that they can snap him up permanently, without having to negotiate a new deal with Marseille, next summer.
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On current form, the Gers must surely already be thinking about exercising their option to sign him permanently next year, to avoid repeating the situation where they now look on in envy as Cerny shines elsewhere.