Ibrox View: Rangers shouldn’t worry as pundit names two potential Lennon replacements
TalkSPORT pundit Jason Cundy has claimed that Rangers boss Steven Gerrard will help Celtic hire a big-name manager in the summer.
Speaking on the Sports Bar (12/1/20), Cundy claimed that both Frank Lampard and Wayne Rooney could both be attracted to a move up north to compete with Gerrard following his exploits at Ibrox this season.
Former Chelsea man Cundy joked that Lampard, who is under increasing pressure at Stamford Bridge, according to The Athletic, could also be the man for the job: “I just wonder who might be tempted up there, because what Steven Gerrard has done, Wayne Rooney for example, Frank Lampard after he’s won the title.
“Steven Gerrard has gone up there and made a name for himself.”
Like Lampard, Lennon is under pressure from supporters to leave Celtic after their failings this season.
The Scottish Sun reported earlier this month that the Hoops are backing their manager for the rest of the season.
Whether or not their stance on Lennon remains the same over the summer, should Rangers go on to secure title no.55 remains to be seen.
However, we believe that neither Rooney nor Lampard would give Rangers and Gerrard much to worry about as they prepare to potentially dominate Scottish football once again.
Lampard has struggled this season at Chelsea, despite a summer of lavish spending at Stamford Bridge.
The Athletic reported that there is growing unrest among the Chelsea squad and some players have been left confused by Lampard’s tactical plans.
Like Lampard, Wayne Rooney is still in the early days of his Derby tenure, having landed the role on an interim basis.
In his opening nine matches at Derby, he has lost just twice and the Telegraph claims that he is set to land the job at with the money-stricken Rams permanently.
Both managers are still in the very early stages of their careers in the dugout like Gerrard was when he arrived at Rangers.
However, the task at hand at Celtic is arguably much bigger. For the first time in a decade, they are the chasing pack and have a squad that will be in need of a major overhaul if key players go on to leave as they are expected to do.
A previous report from The Athletic cited Odsonne Edouard, Olivier Ntcham and Kris Ajer as players that could leave the Hoops in the near future – a trio that make a large core of the Celtic squad.
Whoever does take the Celtic job, managerial experience at the top level could be key because it is not an understatement to say that they will have a huge operation on their hands.
While all of this is unravelling around Celtic, Rangers are going from strength to strength both domestically and in Europe.
Steven Gerrard is under contract at Ibrox until 2024 and for the first time in a while, the Gers find themselves enjoying some consistency at the highest level.
If Celtic were to bring in either Lampard, Rooney or any manager of similar experience, they would be taking a huge risk as they try to close the gap to the Gers.
In other Rangers news, one reliable journalist claims Gers target has turned down past offer from Tottenham