Rangers will have to move quickly as Philippe Clement enters discussions with Al-Shabab
Rangers are once again on the hunt for a new manager, only months after appointing Michael Beale after the decision to relieve him of his duties at Ibrox.
The Light Blues have been linked with a whole host of potential new managers but look to have an initial four-man list of targets, including Frank Lampard, Kevin Muscat, Pascal Jansen and Philippe Clement [The Fourth Official, 3 October].
It seems as though the Gers will take their time to decide who is the perfect candidate to take over at Ibrox, given the impending international break, but should they wish to appoint Clement, they may need to act faster than expected as the former Monaco coach has other potential suitors.
According to a report from Foot Mercato (4 October), Saudi club Al-Shabab are interested in recruiting Clement to replace Marcel Keizer who left the side in September. The team currently sit 11th in the Saudi Pro League and boasts a star-studded squad with the likes of Yannick Carrasco, Romain Saiss and Ever Banega.
Rangers and John Bennett have shown no inclination to rush a decision during their search and are expected to carry out interviews during the coming days to ensure that they recruit the correct candidate after a difficult few seasons both domestically and in Europe under Beale and Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
Given the fact that Clement is just one of four names on the agenda for James Bisgrove and the rest of the team behind the scenes at Ibrox to assess in the coming weeks, they are unlikely to throw their entire recruitment plan out of the window in a bid to beat the Saudi club to his signature.
There has also been little to no indication that the Belgian manager would be at all interested in either position currently, whereas the likes of Lampard and Muscat have already been reported to be very keen on making the switch to the blue side of Glasgow [BBC Sport, 3 October].
Of the four names linked however, Clement does arguably have the most impressive managerial CV, having won three league titles during spells with Gent and Club Brugge. He represents the sort of winner that the Gers need to finally break Celtic’s hold on the Scottish Premiership.
Reported interest from the Middle East may just ensure Bennett and those around him at Ibrox put their foot on the gas slightly and speed up their search for a new manager. After all, they don’t want to miss out on their preferred candidate and end up with the second-best man for the job.
After the Gers’ poor start to the season and the amount of money spent this summer, it is crucial they get this appointment correct, or the club could seriously suffer in the short and long term.
In other Rangers news, there have been reports that unmanned candidates could still emerge in the race for the Gers job