You cannot blame Rangers for trying.
The departures of loanees Abdallah Sima and Fabio Silva mean Philippe Clement has lost his first and second-choice left wingers since Rangers’ 2023/24 ended with a whimper of regret rather than a roar of silver-coated glory.
Despite the return of Oscar Cortes from RC Lens and the presence of Rabbi Matondo, Rangers remain the market for another. Perhaps one capable of emulating Sima’s highly-impressive return when cutting in from the flank.
Couhaib Driouech certainly ticks a few of the requisite boxes. Eight goals and eight assists from the left might not be a tally as fearsome as Sima’s. But he was plying his trade not for a team fighting at the top but one battling at the bottom.
Excelsior only survived relegation after hammering NEC Breda in the Eredivisie play-offs.
Driouech is likely to be available for a minimal fee, too, his contract expiring in just 12 months’ time. But before you ask ‘what’s the catch’, let us tell you.
Driouech was not particularly happy at being denied the chance to join Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven in January. Six months on, despite Rangers, Sporting Lisbon, Lens and co throwing their proverbial hats into the ring per FC Update, Driouech’s dream destination remains unchanged.
Rangers are not Couhaib Driouech’s top choice club
“The attacker would like to go to Eindhoven and is prepared to wait a while until an agreement is reached,” Rik Elfrink, the highly-reliable Dutch reporter, tells Eindhovens Dagblad.
“PSV has been interested in signing Couhaib Driouech for weeks, but has not yet reached an agreement with his current club Excelsior. His preference is PSV, although other clubs are also interested.”
Elfrink believes that PSV, who cruised to the Eredivisie title last season thanks in part to the ‘incredible talent’ of former Rangers loanee Malik Tillman, hope to tie up a deal for £1.7 million.
Excelsior are holding out for a larger fee. But given Driouech’s contract situation and his obviously desire to make the switch to Eindhoven, Excelsior are not exactly negotiating from a position of considerable strength.
Eredivisie winger prioritising PSV Eindhoven move
“PSV is trying to sign Driouech for more than two million euros,” Elfrink adds. “But Excelsior wants more.
“PSV technical director Earnest Stewart is not in a huge hurry. PSV will start preparations for the new season next week and would like to have Driouech on board, but the first official match of the new season is not until August 4.
“It is not known how far apart Excelsior and PSV are. A few weeks ago it seemed to be around 1 to 1.5 million euros. PSV has informed the club that it does not intend to pay what is Driouech was bid on in the winter.
“This is partly due to his contract situation: Driouech’s contract expires in mid-2025 and so Excelsior must sell him this summer to be able to collect a reasonable price.”
As long as PSV and Excelsior continue to sit poles apart, the opportunity will always remain for Rangers to sneak in and make a move of their own.
But having already waited six months for Excelsior to let him grasp his dream move, Driouech is unlikely to be in any rush now with an end to this long-running saga potentially just weeks or even days away.
