What Rangers can expect from Jose Cifuentes: The LAFC lowdown

Here is everything he had to say.

What sort of player is he and what can Rangers fans expect should he pitch up in Glasgow?

He’s an attacking midfielder in the 10 position. He is a dynamic scorer, he can come in and put that extra pressure and score from that midfield position. He's got a great work rate, doesn't really have any injuries, he's represented his country for the Ecuadorian national team. He played for them at the last World Cup and he's progressed really well. He’s a nice young man, very well mannered and I think that he would do well. He's been looking for this opportunity to move on, I think that he's ready. Since he came back from the World Cup, his minutes have been cut a little bit with the arrival of Timothy Tillman, the brother of Malik Tillman but Jose has always taken it in his stride, he’s always had a positive attitude. He’s never been a disruptor in the locker room or anything like that.

He arrived at LAFC with a hefty price tag, has he repaid that?

I would say absolutely. When he arrived in 2020 he was a bit of an unknown talent. He hadn't really made his debut for the Ecuadorian national team and he really has fulfilled a role for us. He solidified that attacking third by being able to come in and make his movements in and around the front three and just be that option to try and score. His passing and being able to solidify that midfield for LAFC has really helped us go on to win our MLS Cup last season. He was integral in our CONCACAF Champions League match back in 2020 when we were playing against Tigres in the final. Then again, this year, we are playing Leon again in the final for the CONCACAF champions. Jose has definitely been someone that we rely on heavily for his presence in the midfield.

Is No.10 his primary position or can he play other positions?

Back in 2020, when we had Bob Bradley as our gaffer, we've always had three midfielders, but sometimes we would have a double pivot so we would just have the one attacking midfielder. Under Steve Cherundolo, we kind of just have a single 6 and then we'll have an 8 and a 10. LAFC has a very fluid system where the players will rotate in and around. We've seen Jose, at times, creep a little bit more forward, almost as like a false 9, but he is very much recognised in the midfield, more as opposed to a right or left mid.

READ MORE: What Rangers-linked Jose Cifuentes could offer Michael Beale

Have there been any other clubs interested in him before?

There was talk about Jose potentially getting moved on last season, in the summer window. But then when it didn't happen, they had thought that if he played well in the World Cup that that might be the indicator for him to get moved on in the winter transfer window. He's been linked with Brighton and obviously Rangers. There was another team last season I forget who it was, but there have been some talks of teams looking for his services so we knew it was a matter of time. A lot of LAFC’s development right now is getting players that may not be necessarily recognised on the global stages, giving them an opportunity to be showcased here in the MLS and then hopefully giving them an opportunity to move on to the next club, whether it be in South America or in Europe somewhere. This is the model that LAFC has been trying to establish since its inception. It’s just another feather in the hat, so to speak of the general manager here at LAFC, John Thornton and how they develop players and continue to try and move them on.

Did the club try and extend his contract?

I haven't heard anything about a contract extension. I think that Jose is definitely set on looking for an opportunity elsewhere. I think that he is happy with the growth that he's had here, but he's ready for the next challenge. If this move is not made in this window then I think that LAFC would lose them on a free and I think that they'd rather get something than nothing.

Do you think Jose will thrive playing for a club with the demands to win every week?

I do follow Rangers a little bit. I was a Liverpool fan before I was an LAFC fan so when Steven Gerrard got the gaffer's job at Rangers, I started to follow them a little bit closer. I think that with the Old Firm and the history that follows football in Scotland, I think that Jose is more than willing to be able to step up to that challenge. He's definitely a player that the fans are not going to have to worry about his work rate, his attitude and his effort. We are going to be sorely sad to see him go. Jose has been a really great character. Just an example of his type of character, when Gareth Bale came to LAFC, Jose was wearing the number 11 before Gareth Bale showed up and as soon as Gareth showed up, Jose had no problem giving up the number 11 so that Gareth could wear it and he changed his number to 20. That's just the kind of character that he has.

Is he someone that the fans took to?

He is beloved, especially by the Spanish-speaking culture that we have here in Los Angeles. His English is not as strong as it could be. The players that are from South America definitely work on their English when they come here but his primary language is Spanish, that's his preferred language to speak. We have a very high Hispanic, Latin American and Mexican population here so communication is not an issue. But amongst the fans, he would constantly come to club events and things like that and interact with the fans. He always has a smile on his face, he's very jovial and a fun individual to be around.

LAFC have a huge game in the CONCACAF Champions League final against Leon, can you foresee Jose playing a part in those games?

I do. Even if Jose is not someone getting the starting minutes, he will have a substitution role. Kellyn Acosta had taken a knock in a recent match a couple of weeks ago and so our primary three midfielders right now are Timothy Tillman, Ilie Sanchez and Jose Cifuentes. So I do think that should Kellyn Acosta not be able to recover from his injury in time for the Leon match in the CONCACAF Champions League final then we will see Jose Cifuentes. He’s definitely relied upon while he's here. We will need his services if he's available.