Sam Stone

Thu 9 February 2023 14:10, UK

Barry Ferguson has suggested Rangers’ fans won’t admit their relief if Ange Postecoglou left Celtic to join Premier League side, Leeds United.

The Celtic boss has been linked with the vacant position at Elland Road although The Daily Record suggest club chiefs are very confident the Australian would turn down any approach from the Yorkshire side.

Ferguson believes plenty of the Ibrox faithful would be “quietly relieved” if the 57-year-old did decide to leave their Old Firm rivals.

“Let’s be honest, they might not be willing to admit it but there’s hardly a Rangers fan out there who wouldn’t be quietly relieved if the big Aussie was tempted away from Glasgow for a shot at the English Premier League,” said Ferguson (Daily Record column, 9 February).

“And I’m pretty sure Michael Beale would feel the same way.”

Bang on

Celtic have been an immovable force under the Australian and he would be extremely hard to replace if he did decide to make the move to the Premier League. He’s certainly destined to manage in the top flight at some point in his career, but the right opportunity is clearly what he’s waiting for.

However, the job Michael Beale has done cannot be understated. The Light Blues have kept pace with their fierce rivals and were just minutes away from closing the gap at the top of the table to just six points. Both managers are clearly at the top of their game, and their rivalry could emerge into something pretty special if they both stick around.

It’s slightly surprising to see Postecoglou still at Park Head. The Leeds and Everton jobs have both come up in recent weeks, with both clubs seemingly a good fit for the 57-year-old. It’s hard to see the Australian landing a top-six job, so it’s going to be interesting to see where he does end up if he opts to leave The Hoops.

In other Rangers news, the Ibrox bank is set for a cash boost after a document emerged on Wednesday.