Rangers are surrounded by Gerrard flop who received more money than Sima

Glasgow Rangers may have to go through the rest of the season without the services of Abdallah Sima, with the defender injured in the recent Scottish Cup semi-final against Hearts.

As they limped to a 2-1 win over St Mirren at the weekend, Phillipe Clement will be praying for the midfielder to make a miraculous recovery as the Ibrox side struggle without a presence in the final third.

Abdallah Sima may have played his last game for Rangers

Having just returned from an injury that kept him out for a few months after playing against Senegal during the Africa Cup of Nations in January, Sima made a splash in only his second game against Celtic.

The on-loan player was brought on in the second half before scoring the second goal with just five minutes remaining, as Rangers beat Ibrox 3-3.

However, Antist Hearts, he left within 15 minutes and was followed by Clement who spoke about his condition after the game, saying:

“We'll see and check tomorrow. He felt the tightness of the muscle, I hope it's not too bad. We hope we can have Abdallah in the next few weeks because he was very important in that time he was there. He was fine and he was coming back now.

With just five games remaining – four Premiership games and a Scottish Cup final – could the Ibrox faithful see the last of Sima?

Abdallah Sima's stats for Rangers this season

Since arriving on loan last summer from Brighton and Hove Albion, Sima has been one of the best players in the team in front of goal.

In 38 games, the 22-year-old has scored 16 goals while notching two assists, which is also impressive given that he missed a large chunk of the season with a hamstring injury.

There is no doubt that Clement will miss the player when he returns to Brighton this summer. Unless he can fork over the cash to sign him permanently, the Belgian will have to find a replacement for the Senegal international.

The left-back currently earns £8.5k-a-week during his loan spell, which is one of the lowest wages in the club, behind the likes of Kemar Roofe, Danilo and Rabbi Matondo, who have not contributed as much. as Sima has this name.

The Light Blues have a history of signing expensive flops for high wages, often failing to live up to the expectations placed on them when they arrive in Glasgow.

One of the most notable recent examples is that of Cedric Itten, who arrived to great fanfare and enjoyed two seasons at Ibrox.

How much did Rangers pay for Cedric Itten

Ahead of the 2020/21 campaign, Steven Gerrard was keen to strengthen an attack that had stalled in the months leading up to last season's suspension due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Before Christmas, the Gers were on course to win the league title, however four wins out of nine following the winter break ensured the club were out of contention.

That summer, Roofe was brought to Anderlecht along with Itten, who signed Gerrard from Swiss side FC St Gallen for a transfer fee believed to be £3m, showing that he was at a high level.

It soon became apparent that Gerrard had overpaid the Swiss striker.

Cedric Itten's Rangers figures

Having scored 36 goals in just 63 games for St Gallen, it looked like Rangers had signed a player who knew exactly where he was.

His first season in the Light Blues was not a success, although they ended ten years waiting for the league title. In all 37 games, Itten managed to score just six goals, while grabbing three more assists, which would have an impact of £3m, let's put it that way.

He was sent out on loan to Germany's Greuther Furth, scoring just two goals in 12 appearances, although one came against Bayern Munich.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst brought him back in January when he wanted to give the striker a second chance at Rangers, but he failed to take advantage of the opportunity he was given.

He scored just two goals in seven games, effectively ruining his chances of staying with the club for the 2022/23 campaign.

That summer, he was sold for a cut-price fee of just £1.5m, meaning the Gers lost money by selling cheaply as he returned to his homeland to join BSC Young Boys.

Cedric Itten's salary at Rangers

Not only did the midfielder cost £3m to bring to the club in the first place, he also earned £14k-a-week during his two-season stay, including paying his wages while on loan in the Bundesliga.

Including his transfer fees and the total wages earned during his stint in Glasgow, Itten cleaned the Ibrox side dry by around £4.5m. Considering he only scored eight goals in 48 games, it seemed like a huge waste of money – earning more than Sima did at the club.

Perhaps it was Scottish football that was the problem as Itten has shone since returning to Switzerland. In his first season with Young Boys, he won twice, registering 35 goals – 23 goals and 12 assists – in 39 games.

He may have only scored ten goals in his second season, but he is still effective.

Hopefully Clement will avoid the same mistakes made by his predecessors as he looks to strengthen his first team in the summer transfer window.

Itten is one of the many players who joined this team who failed to imitate their form which made them to be the best.

With his budget uncertain, the Belgian may not have the money to make costly mistakes this summer.