James Bisgrove must let cash fly to seal Marcelo Gallardo signature as Rangers manager race heats up
Former River Plate manager Marcelo Gallardo is “in the frame” to replace Michael Beale as Rangers manager and his availability means chief executive James Bisgrove must let the cash fly to secure his much-needed services.
Steven Davis has taken charge at Ibrox on an interim basis after Beale was sacked on Sunday (1 October) following the 3-1 defeat to Aberdeen on Saturday (30 September).
The race for the Ibrox managerial hotseat has certainly been heating up over the past few days with a whole host of names in the frame to replace Beale, such as AZ Alkmaar’s Pascal Jansen, Yokohama F. Marinos boss Kevin Muscat, Preston’s Ryan Lowe and Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes.
However, a surprise name has also emerged in the frame, and one which Ibrox chief Bisgrove must give serious attention and consideration to and that man is certainly Gallardo.
Writing on their live blog (2 October, 9:30), Sky Sports reported that the much-celebrated and highly-regarded Argentine coach is among the candidates at Ibrox and credited the Daily Record (2 October) for their report.
The Scottish news outlet share that it would be a “coup” for the Light Blues to bring him into the club, although they admit it would take a “big sell” to convince him to join with the former River Plate coach biding his time before his next managerial role.
The Gers are said to be in no rush to make a decision over their next appointment, hence the confirmation of senior player Davis on an interim basis until after the international break at least.
Scottish Daily Mail (print edition, page 66) reported on 4 October that Bisgrove will not travel to Cyrpus for the game against Aris Limassol on Thursday (5 October) as he spearheads the search for a new manager.
It makes complete sense for Bisgrove to remain in Glasgow as appointing a new manager should be the chief executive’s sole priority at this moment in time.
It is certainly a huge decision for him to make and it’s one he absolutely has to get right after performances on the field stagnated under Beale there is arguably no better candidate than Gallardo given his tremendous successes over the years.
Gallardo is a 15-time trophy winner in his native country including two league titles, and is considered one of River Plate’s greatest-ever managers with a statue built at the club in his honour.
Also, the 47-year-old gives Rangers the opportunity to appoint a manager without any ties to the club, a trend that has proven unsuccessful following the failures of Giovanni Van Bronckurst and Beale.
Gallardo does present a risk given his lack of managerial experience in Europe but his current freshness and availability after a long break from the job plus his penchant for an attractive and high-octane brand of football certainly makes him an attractive proposition for Bisgrove and John Bennett to consider.
Rangers need to get in a candidate who can strike fear in their opponents again, especially their Old Firm rivals Celtic and there’s no better candidate to provide that fear factor again than Gallardo.
He’s worth the risk and is worth letting all the cash go for.
In other Rangers news, David Edgar has revealed that the Light Blues may take their time to make their next appointment at Ibrox.