Glasgow Rangers won for the fourth straight match in a row in all competitions with a slender 1-0 victory over Hibernian at Ibrox in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday.
A first-half strike from Tom Lawrence, who cut inside and curled a sublime shot into the far top corner, was enough to secure all three points for the hosts.
They did need their goalkeeper to produce the goods, though, as Jack Butland saved a penalty just before half-time after John Souttar was penalised for a handball offence in the six-yard box.
It was a solid but not wholly convincing performance from the Gers, as they won by one goal and had their backs against the wall towards the end of the match, and there were some underwhelming performers on the pitch.
Vaclav Cerny was one of the players who did not enjoy his best day at the office and it culminated in him snapping back at some of the supporters inside Ibrox after they voiced their displeasure at some of his actions on the pitch.
The Czechia international has had a mixed start to life in Glasgow since his move to the club on loan from Wolfsburg during the summer transfer window.
Vaclav Cerny's start to life at Rangers
The left-footed attacker was brought in to provide Philippe Clement’s team with a boost at the top end of the pitch, as a right winger who can offer a threat as both a scorer and a creator of goals.
Cerny has shown glimpses of the quality that he can provide at times but the 26-year-old whiz is still searching for consistency in his performances for the Scottish giants, which the ex-Bundesliga man will be hoping to find before the end of his loan spell.
Appearances
5
Starts
4
Goals
1
Assists
1
Big chances created
2
As you can see in the table above, the winger has recorded a goal and an assist in five appearances, along with two ‘big chances’ created for his teammates, which is not a dismal return by any means.
However, the Wolfsburg loanee has also gone four games without a goal or an assist in all competitions, and has not made a single key pass in either of his last two outings for the club, which may have played a part in the frustration from supporters against Hibs on Sunday.
Rangers will be hoping that Cerny, who is currently valued at €7m (£5.8m) by Transfermarkt, goes on to be as successful as one of the club’s previous left-footed attacking midfielders – Joe Aribo.
How much Rangers sold Joe Aribo for
In the summer of 2022, Premier League side Southampton swooped in to sign the Nigeria international for a reported £10m deal, amid competition from other teams in the English top-flight.
The former Charlton midfielder, like Cerny, was a left-footed attacker who struggled for consistency at the start of his Gers career, with three goals in 27 Premiership matches during the 2019/20 campaign.
However, he improved his output in front of goal in all three of his seasons for Rangers, scoring seven times in 31 outings in the top-flight the following term for the Light Blues.
Appearances
34
Goals
8
Big chances created
9
Key passes per game
1.8
Assists
5
As you can see in the table above, Aribo, whose style was described as “languid” by ex-teammate Ezri Konsa, enjoyed his best goalscoring season in the Premiership in his last year at the club, with eight strikes and five assists in 34 matches.
Those statistics also suggest that he should have had more assists to his name, as his teammates did not make the most of the nine ‘big chances’ that he created for them throughout the campaign.
The Rangers star racked up nine goals – including one in the Europa League final – and ten assists in all competitions that season, as he proved himself to be capable of scoring and creating goals at an eye-catching rate from midfield, which convinced Premier League side Southampton to pursue a deal for him.
Former Gers sporting director Ross Wilson was able to agree a £10m package with the Saints for his services, and that piece of business has turned out to be a blinder from the club as Aribo’s value has plummeted in the subsequent two years since his departure from Ibrox.
Joe Aribo's current market value
At the time of writing (01/10/2024), Transfermarkt has the central midfielder’s current market value at just €5m (£4.1m) and that means that his value is less than half of what it was when Rangers cashed in on him in 2022.
This shows that the Light Blues hit the jackpot by selling him when they did, as his value peaked at the end of the 2021/22 campaign and does not look like rising any time soon.
He is currently worth even less than Cerny, the current left-footed forward in the Gers attack, despite the Czechia international’s own recent struggles at Ibrox.
The 28-year-old Saints midfielder should be in the prime years of his career but is, instead, struggling to hit the heights he reached during his time in Glasgow with Rangers.
In his debut season in the Premier League, Aribo scored two goals and failed to provide an assist in 21 appearances as Southampton were relegated to the Championship.
The drop down to the second tier in England did not, though, result in his performances drastically improving. The midfielder produced four goals and one assist in 35 appearances to help the Saints to earn promotion straight back to the top-flight.
Appearances
5
Goals
0
Assists
0
Key passes per game
0.6
Duel success rate
43%
As you can see in the table above, Aribo has struggled at the start of the current campaign in the Premier League, with zero goal contributions in five appearances.
This suggests that his value is not set for a drastic rise in the coming weeks or months unless his performances significantly improve down south.
Therefore, Rangers appear to have played a blinder by selling him for a £10m deal as his value has plummeted since his move away from Ibrox.
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