Graham Potter ‘really good appointment’ for Rangers as Michael Beale faces sack amid Gareth Southgate factor
Rangers may struggle to attract Graham Potter as a replacement for Michael Beale with the England job potentially open for him soon, according to Dean Jones.
The former Eurosport journalist told GIVEMESPORT (12 September) that the ex-Brighton and Chelsea manager, who was sacked by the London side in April, could be a “really good appointment” at Ibrox but his next job will have to be a “hell of an opportunity” to convince him.
If the 48-year-old expresses an interest in the Rangers job then Jones believes he would make plenty of sense for the Light Blues but it is likely to be difficult, especially when Gareth Southgate’s role could be open in the near future.
Jones said of the Rangers situation: “I’m struggling to see many candidates that are a guarantee of success, I’ve got to say. Potter might be a really good appointment, given the way he likes to build, but I’m not sure that he would be interested in it, if I’m totally honest.
“It seems like he is being very careful about what job he takes next. He is already being mentioned and I think he might even be the favourite at the moment to be the next England manager, with Gareth Southgate likely to step down after the Euros.
“For Graham Potter’s next job, it is going to have to be a hell of an opportunity. That could be rebuilding Rangers. If they were getting genuine signs that he is interested in that, I could understand them looking at him as a replacement for Beale.”
Out of reach?
In purely Premier League terms Potter is of a similar standing to current Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers, who moved to Parkhead the first time after losing his job at Liverpool.
Potter’s miserable time in charge at Stamford Bridge last term might also be seen as comparable that, yet it feels like an unrealistic possibility for him to be genuinely in the running if Beale is removed despite being reportedly on the shortlist [The Sun, 9 September].
It is no certainty that the current boss even goes if he manages to come out of the international break positively and builds up a head of steam.
He is definitely going to be pushing it close if he drops more points in the next month or so, and another failure against the Hoops on 30 December might be the last straw, but after rebuilding the squad in his image this summer the hierarchy would clearly prefer he gets the job done himself.
Rangers may have a problem on their hands if they do sack him in that the higher the profile of manager they potentially go for as Beale’s successor the more likely the new coach is to require substantial investment in their own players.
Coming so soon after a summer rebuild for Beale that might be difficult, while anyone less established runs the risk of being too similar in profile to Beale himself.
With St Johnstone on the horizon Saturday (16 September) the first stage of the response to the Old Firm defeat isn’t far away, and will give a partial picture of the manager’s stability for now.
In other Rangers news, a senior player has caused “annoyance” and “frustration” at Ibrox with what he did over the international break.