John Bennett identified Pascal Jansen as top Michael Beale replacement weeks ago at Rangers
All eyes have now switched to who will be the new manager of Rangers this week after Michael Beale was shown his marching orders at Ibrox.
The Englishman was sacked on Sunday 01 October, with the 3-1 defeat against Aberdeen the final straw in what has been a miserable season so far.
John Bennett and his team will now be in charge of finding the right successor, and early updates have suggested he may take him time, although that may not be the case.
Ironically, TeamTalk reported on September 26 that Rangers were keeping tabs on AZ Alkmaar manager Pascal Jansen alongside Everton and Crystal Palace.
The Bears were said to be keeping close tabs amid pressure on Beale, and wouldn’t you know it? He was sacked in his first defeat since that news emerged.
Bennett already had a name on his list before Beale was out of the door, and that could suggest that he is the top early target at Ibrox, although other interest means they may have to move quickly.
Replacement?
While Beale was packing his bags on Sunday 01 October, Jansen was enjoying watching his side easily dispose of Fortuna Sittard by four goals to nil.
AZ are currently second in the Eredivisie, unbeaten after seven games with six wins and a plus-seventeen goal difference already, with the attacking style of play clear to see.
Compare that to Rangers, and this looks like a side missing confidence and labouring in games with slow build-up play and no real idea of how to break opposition teams down.
Step forward, Jansen, who could be persuaded to make the switch to Ibrox with a huge challenge ahead of him if he was to do just that.
It looks as though the 50-year-old was on the radar before Beale even left, so Bennett and his team may be looking at making contact as soon as possible to discuss the next steps.
This is certainly one to watch over the next couple of weeks.
In other Rangers news, David Edgar has shared what the club has told him about the manager hunt already