Oliver Glasner launches last-gasp official bid to become Rangers manager as rival to Frank Lampard and Kevin Muscat
Oliver Glasner has entered the race to become the new Rangers manager by making a late bid in the hopes of “muscling his way into the process”, according to the Daily Record.
Keith Jackson reported via the paper’s website on 5 October that the Austrian “instructed his representatives to officially register an interest in the vacant Ibrox hotseat” on Wednesday night, despite the club having already “triggered” the final round of the process with Kevin Muscat and Frank Lampard.
Glasner, 49, is in his third season as manager of Eintracht Frankfurt and was in the opposing dugout as Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side were beaten on penalties in the Europa League final two seasons ago.
According to Jackson he narrowly missed out on the German national team job after being “pipped at the post” by Julian Nagelsmann last month, but has now “thrown his hat into the ring at the 11th hour” for the Ibrox job.
Disrupter
With a final face off between Muscat and Lampard potentially underwhelming for large portions of the Rangers fanbase it should probably be an encouraging sign that new options are still emerging.
Time is of the essence however if the team is going to keep turning in performances similar to the ones that ultimately saw Michael Beale sacked.
Steven Davis was never expected to work miracles in temporary charge but he would certainly have hoped to inspire more of an uplift that was on display in Cyprus as the Gers were beaten 2-1 by Aris Limassol on Thursday.
A European trophy is certainly not to be sniffed at when it comes to evaluating Glasner’s suitability for the job, but it won’t go unnoticed that Van Bronckhorst was within touching distance of lifting the very same honour and was ultimately fired for his inability to get ahead of Celtic in Scotland.
Glasner previously spent two seasons in charge of Wolfsburg in the German Bundesliga but hasn’t had a win percentage over 50% since four years as manager of LASK in his homeland.
And if Rangers are motoring along to the final stages with Lampard and Muscat it remains to be seen whether the Austrian’s late arrival in the frame has come too late.
In other Rangers news, an “absolutely brilliant” manager has been given a rave reference from a former employer as he looks to get the job.