Youssef Chermiti: Why have Rangers spent big on ex-Everton striker?

Ninety-three minutes into the penultimate away game of Sporting Lisbon's 2022-23 season, teenager Youssef Chermiti turns in the fourth goal of a convincing win for Ruben Amorin's side at Pacos de Ferreira.

Twenty-eight months, 25 games and two-big money transfers later, the young Portuguese forward is yet to score again.

So why have Rangers sealed a deal worth a reported £10m, external to bring the 21-year-old from Everton to Ibrox?

Former Sporting youth coach Pedro Coelho tells BBC Scotland: "I met Youssef when he was 14 and all the time he was a reference in his age groups.

"Everton was a difficult transition, but now, at 21, he has all the talent and all the character to achieve a high level in football."

Boasting pace, power and presence at a height of about 6ft 3in, online footage of Chermiti playing academy football at Sporting depicts a man among boys.

"I remember he scored a beautiful goal against Benfica, a bicycle kick," recalls Coelho, who coached the Rangers striker at under-15s and under-19s.

"It was the first time I'd seen Youssef. Against Benfica, all goals are special, but a bicycle kick from a 14-year-old boy isn't normal."

What is normal is his character. Coelho says Chermiti, who has played and scored for Portugal at almost every youth level, is "a normal boy with great talent".

"He really made a name for himself in the Sporting academy with the under-15s," the 36-year-old adds.

"We won the national championship and he was one of the best players in the league. He scored 12 goals in the last 10 games.

"He's very tall but so strong when he's running into space. When he has space behind defenders, he's very good.

"In the box, he has good mobility, but his best behaviour is attacking the back post - he's so, so good at that."

Chermiti's reputation only strengthened as he progressed through the age groups and he was promised a pathway by now Manchester United boss Amorin.

He was handed his first-team debut at 18 off the bench in a draw with rivals Benfica in January 2023 and scored his first goal a month later in a 1-0 win away to Rio Ave.

Chermiti netted again in the following match, a defeat by Porto, with opposition head coach Sergio Conceicao hailing him as "a young player of great quality".

Among Chermiti's 10 Sporting starts, Amorin also trusted him to lead the line in the first leg of a Europa League quarter-final away to Juventus that ended in a 1-0 defeat.

In a relatively small sample size of 839 league minutes - the equivalent of about nine full 90-minute matches - Chermiti ranked high in multiple attacking metrics in his breakthrough campaign.

On a per-90 basis, his expected goals, touches in the opposition box and aerial duel success placed him among the top forwards in Portugal's top flight.

When you consider he was a teenager at the time, those numbers become more impressive.

That underlying data caught eyes in the Premier League, with Everton, Wolves and Bournemouth all expressing an interest in the young striker.

Despite his limited first-team minutes, the Merseyside club would go on to secure a £15m transfer.

Former Everton director of football Kevin Thelwell, now in a similar role at Rangers, was heavily involved in the deal.

And it is clear the 51-year-old sees huge potential in the forward given he has sanctioned another big-money move to bring him to Glasgow.

"We believe he can develop into a top striker here and we're confident Rangers is the right place for him to take that next step," Thelwell said following the attacker's switch to Ibrox.

Chermiti made 20 appearances in his debut campaign in England, but the majority of those were late cameos, starting just twice.

There was optimism in July last year from then Everton boss Sean Dyche, who told BBC Sport the youngster had returned for pre-season in better shape.

However, a foot injury halted his momentum, keeping him out until December, before a hamstring issue sidelined the striker in early 2025.

Chermiti would leave Everton without scoring a goal in 24 matches, playing just 295 minutes across two seasons.

"I don't know if 'soon' is the right word," Coelho says on whether the move to England came around too fast.

"But the truth is the demands of the Premier League are really difficult. He'll have learned and improved.

“At 21, he is ready to get a high performance at a new club."

A reported package of £10m makes Chermiti one of Rangers' most expensive signings.

The expectation that will come with that, coupled with the pressure of leading the Ibrox side's attack, will be a challenge for someone so young.

However, Coelho says, with the fans' backing, the forward has "all the conditions" to thrive in "the right environment".

The current environment at Rangers is a tricky one given the side are enduring their worst league start since 1983 under head coach Russell Martin, who described Chermiti as "a young striker with huge potential".

But the 21-year-old, along with his attacking team-mates, will still be expected to deliver immediately by replacing the goals that have left the team.

Cyriel Dessers scored 29 last term, with Hamza Igamane netting 16. Both departed late in the summer window.

The story of Dessers' Ibrox career is one that highlights how unforgiving life as Rangers' centre-forward can be.

The Nigerian scored 52 goals in 115 games across two years but still faced intense criticism throughout his spell.

Dessers continually bounced back from scrutiny and Chermiti will have to show similar resilience. So, too, will fellow summer signing Bojan Miovski.

Following Chermiti's arrival, some Rangers fans have questioned whether Martin will look to play the former Everton man and Miovski in the same team.

"He can play alone or with another striker," Coelho replies when asked about Chermiti's ability to play in a front two.

"He's quick and strong in duels. He moves very well, centrally or out wide. He has an excellent profile, an exciting profile.

"I believe a lot in him, but he must improve his talent at a high level and Rangers are a big team.

"If he doesn't have injuries, and with confidence and playing consistently, he can achieve a big, big level in football."

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