By Anthony Onifade

14th Apr, 2023 | 10:40am

Barry Ferguson wants Craig Moore return to Rangers as Ross Wilson leaves, he's got 'enormous contacts book'

Barry Ferguson has urged Rangers to hire former player Craig Moore as Ross Wilson’s replacement for the vacant Sporting Director role as the Gers could use his “enormous contacts book”.

Wilson, who has been Rangers’ sporting director since 2019, has now been appointed as the chief football officer after Nottingham Forest confirmed the news on their website on Wednesday night [12 April].

And Ferguson speaking to the Daily Record [14 April] claimed he won’t be missed at Ibrox and has urged the Light Blues to hire former player Craig Moore who had a previous stint as director of football at A-League outfit Brisbane Roar.

He said: “Let’s put it this way, now that Ross Wilson’s time at Rangers is up it’s fair to say he won’t be missed by many supporters.

“And there are three obvious candidates which jump out at me where the new man is concerned – Davie Weir, Craig Moore and John Park. Three guys who know the club inside out and who share an encyclopaedic knowledge of the marketplace.

“As for Moore, he’s ideally positioned because of the enormous contacts book he has built up in his work as an agent. He’s also the kind of guy who lives and breathes football and could give you a sore head when it comes to talking about players, their stats, their strengths and their inside leg measurements. He leaves no details to chance and he also knows what it means to represent that club.”

Swift

With Wilson leaving this week, it is clear Rangers need to fill that vacant position quickly as Michael Beale looks to significantly improve his squad for next season which will certainly be a busy and pivotal summer.

The former QPR boss will need help from those above him and those next to him and despite Wilson’s controversies and protests against him, he was a great soundboard for Beale who claimed this week that the new Forest chief has proven an important figure during his time at Ibrox and that they’d already worked on particular targets for the summer.

Rangers will need to make an appointment quickly and Ferguson has already drawn up a decent list by the looks of things, naming former players who hold good knowledge of the club and what it means to be a Gers player which could prove vital in their bid to recruit the right players to improve Beale’s squad this summer.

Moore would be an ideal candidate given his knowledge of the club, the scouting world and of course his “extensive contacts book” as Ferguson has claimed. Rangers can’t afford to get this new appointment wrong, however, as the rivals Celtic are already ahead when it comes to recruitment work behind the scenes.

So who will Beale be on the phone to in order to fill Wilson’s shoes?

In other Rangers news, the club are in a battle with Celtic for a wantaway Premier League player.