View: Rangers have nothing to worry about as Newcastle want boss with PL experience
Rangers fans are worried that Newcastle could lure Steven Gerrard away from Ibrox following their £300million takeover by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund.
The Bears boss dreams of managing Liverpool someday, but the Magpies could be offering him the chance to take charge of his first Premier League job going by several reports.
Jim White has poured cold water on those links, though, reporting via talkSPORT on Thursday morning that 19th-placed Newcastle are looking to appoint someone with English top-flight experience in order to avoid the drop this season.
He said: “Some more information has come my way late last night. It is my understanding that, at the moment, the appointment of any new manager will only be on a temporary basis. It will only be until the end of the season.
“The Saudis, we are assured, are extremely concerned about losing their Premier League status and it goes with the bad publicity and the Premier League sponsorship suspension – that has all got to be sorted out as well.
“The feeling is there has got to be a proper reboot come summer and the next appointment would be an English manager with Premier League experience to try and ensure safety.
“Thereafter, they might go big. If they stay in the Premier League then they might go big and that might be a foreign manager.”
Huge news
The update from the reliable White is good news for Rangers and their supporters without a doubt.
While Gerrard is an Englishman, he has no experience managing in the Premier League, and handing him the reins right now will clearly be a huge risk.
The Light Blues cannot afford to lose their boss right now with a title defence on the cards, and this update should be relieving.
Going by White’s update, the 41-year-old is far from being among the favourites for the job come summer either.
Newcastle owners want to make a statement of intent, and while Gerrard is big in Scotland, bringing him to St. James’ Park will be widely seen as underwhelming despite the rebuilding job he has overseen at Ibrox.
Making Rangers champions again after nine years is a huge achievement, but the Premier League moneybags are likely to be keen on going big.
Nothing is rest assured yet, so the Light Blues board and fans are likely to continue biting their nails until the Magpies appoint a permanent manager, but the latest update is very much encouraging.
In other Rangers news, a Sky Sports pundit has suggested that Bears man will join PL side should offer arrive.