If there were any concerns that a player who had missed much of 2024 through injury would need a few weeks to get back up to speed, then they were dispelled emphatically during Sunday’s thrilling, six-goal Old Firm derby between Rangers and Celtic at Ibrox.
It is no coincidence that Rangers, so poor in the first 45 minutes, were a team transformed after the interval once Philippe Clement brought the 22-year-old summer signing off the bench.
Abdallah Sima, even while lining up on the right rather than in his favoured left-wing role, needed just over half an hour to mark his return from a serious hamstring issue in style. Albeit with the aid of a hefty deflection, the Brighton and Hove Albion loanee drew cancelled out Celtic’s 2-0 lead, while setting those in the stands at Ibrox up for a dramatic late finish in one of the most important – and exciting – Old Firm derbies in many a year.
Rangers icon shares Abdallah Sima fears
“I think he’s a big player. A massive player,” former Rangers captain Barry Ferguson tells Go Radio. “I know he’s been out for a while, but you saw the difference he made. He’s just very direct and you need that. Defenders hate pace, and that’s one thing that he’s got.”
Sima now has 16 goals for Rangers this season. Only James Tavernier and Cyriel Dessers have more, a tally which looks all the more impressive when you consider the Senegal international missed nearly months through injury.
But what does the future hold for a man who’s contract is still owned by Brighton? The Seagulls paid £7 million to sign Sima from Rangers’ old Europa League rivals Slavia Prague, and Ferguson fears that Clement will be priced out if Brighton want to recoup every penny of that investment.
“He might be too expensive (for Rangers to sign permanently),” adds the former Scotland midfielder, a five-time Premiership champion during two spells with The Gers. “Because I’m hearing it might be £7 million to £8 million.
“But I’m sure they’ll be talking to Brighton and saying; ‘Listen if we can’t pay that, (can we have Sima on) another year’s loan?
“But I would imagine there will be some teams interested in him because, certainly since he’s come up to Scotland, his form has been excellent.”
Philippe Clement open to permanent deal
It will be interesting to see whether Clement opts to keep Sima on the right-hand side over the coming weeks. With Rabbi Matondo – Sunday’s stoppage time hero – scoring two stunning goals in the last two games when cutting in from the left, and with Scott Wright struggling to impose himself on the opposite flank, Sima might have to get used to life in a new role. Clement also has Fabio Silva as an option for the left.
Oscar Cortes will be looking to nail down that position too when he recovers from his own injury-enforced absence.
Clement, back in December, indicated that he would look to keep Sima at the club permanently, having been impressed not only by his quality but his attitude too.
“If he is continuing what he is doing now I think this is also a good place for him to grow,” the former Monaco boss said. “As a player, as a person, in everything.
“It’s a demanding club so you love that or you have difficulty with that. You need a big personality to be strong with that in the moments when people are not happy about things.
“Then you need to fight through and Abdallah has shown that in these last weeks.
“It’s not the whole time that he’s getting praise,” Clement added. “But he also fights through, and that’s also one of the things we need to look hard into in the assessment of players.
“It’s not just physical, tactical and technical qualities, it’s about personality too, the ability to be strong in the environment of a big club. That’s also the winning culture I want to create here.
“People who will come through even in the difficult moments.”
