AliousRangers Left with ‘Football’s Loneliest Man’ After Thelwell’s Fall from Power at Ibrox
Youssef Chermiti now finds himself in a painfully awkward and isolated situation at Rangers following the dismissal of Kevin Thelwell — the very executive who championed his signing and pushed for his arrival at Ibrox.
The club’s dramatic decision on Monday saw CEO Patrick Stewart and sporting director Thelwell removed from their roles, a conclusion welcomed by large sections of the Rangers fanbase. Their tenure had been overshadowed by months of dissatisfaction, confrontations, and intense supporter backlash that gradually soured the entire atmosphere around Ibrox.
Chermiti was recruited from Everton in the summer in a deal close to £10 million — a major investment largely driven by Thelwell, who previously worked with the striker during his time in Merseyside. Yet the young forward’s adaptation to life at Rangers has been rocky, managing only a single goal across 13 appearances in all competitions.
### **Rangers stuck with a costly signing they may not fully trust**
The club are now seriously exploring the option of sending Chermiti out on loan in January due to his struggle to find form in Scottish football.
For a brief moment, it looked like he had finally turned the page: after scoring against Kilmarnock and providing an assist in the following fixture, optimism flickered. But his performance in the Premier Sports Cup semi-final defeat to Celtic was widely condemned, and since then, he has failed to stand out or build momentum.
Even in Saturday’s win over Livingston, Chermiti was nowhere in sight — sidelined after picking up an injury on international duty.
But it is not the player who should bear the brunt of frustration. It was Thelwell who was given free rein to commit a huge fee for a raw 21-year-old, a decision that surely contributed to his eventual dismissal. Now, with Thelwell gone quietly through the exit door, Rangers are left tethered to a long and expensive four-year deal — while the only man who truly believed in Chermiti’s potential is no longer there to support him.
### **What Thelwell said about his £10m signing**
After Danny Rohl was appointed manager, Thelwell was asked whether he still firmly backed the Chermiti acquisition.
His response was unwavering:
“I absolutely stand by Youssef Chermiti. He has enormous potential, and I’ve never wavered in my belief in him. Danny will get the best from him. He’s young, he needs time — but I’m convinced that over his career here, he’ll prove to be a terrific player.”
And while there’s logic in that — Chermiti *is* young, and development isn’t linear — Rangers have yet to witness any evidence of that potential truly emerging. Meanwhile, the burden of a £10m valuation now rests heavily on a struggling 21-year-old’s shoulders.
At this moment, with his mentor gone, expectations high, and confidence fading, Chermiti may quite literally be the loneliest figure inside Ibrox.
Alious
