Chris Wilder and Frank Lampard now on shortlist as new Rangers manager update emerges
Rangers have added two new names to their shortlist to replace Michael Beale at Ibrox, with Frank Lampard and Chris Wilder of interest, according to Glasgow World.
The website reported on Monday (2 October) that the former Sheffield United boss and the former Chelsea and Everton manager made up an initial three-man shortlist to replace Beale in Glasgow, alongside former defender Kevin Muscat.
Wilder has been without a club since his short-term deal with Watford ended at the end of the 2022/23 campaign, while Lampard was last employed by Chelsea on an interim basis at Stamford Bridge and is interested in seeking a route back into football at a high level.
Explaining the interest in both candidates Barry Anderson wrote: “[Wilder] is an avid fan of Scottish football and carries an in-depth knowledge of the league, players within it and the general landscape. Clubs in England are also interested in his services as he looks to take a step back into top-level management, but Rangers rate him highly.
“[Lampard] is also seeking a route back into football at a high level. The 45-year-old would command a considerable salary given his background south of the border. Rangers will cast their net far and wide in order to find Beale’s long-term successor and are determined not to rush their next appointment.”
Interesting names
It speaks volumes that two of the first names linked to the vacant management position at Ibrox are managers whose performances with their last clubs failed to earn them a job at the beginning of the current campaign. This may not be an easy recruitment mission for those in charge at Ibrox.
Wilder has shown previously that he is more than capable of commanding a successful team in the top flight, his Sheffield United side were a force to be reckoned with in their first Premier League season and he built it from the ground up.
But that was a team in his image that had been recruited to fit his brand of football. This Rangers team is built from Beale’s framework and Wilder has shown in his last few jobs that he hasn’t quite been able to capture the same magic that made him so successful at Bramall Lane.
Lampard has arguably failed in every job he has had since leaving Chelsea the first time, but so has everyone else who has taken charge of Chelsea and Everton before and after him. There will be an attraction there from some in Glasgow because of the similarities with Steven Gerrard’s time at Ibrox, but it would be a shot in the dark.
Muscat is the only name being consistently linked with the post and given his success in Japan and Australia, in a very similar style to Ange Postecoglou, he may be the best choice currently for the Gers. But it doesn’t look as though Rangers fans should be expecting a quick appointment this time around.
In other Rangers news, Simon Jordan has tipped Neil Warnock to take over the Light Blues suggesting he could run the club in his sleep