Philippe Clement holds Rangers talks as manager ignores Saudi and Belgian offers amid ’emphatic’ update
Philippe Clement remains “emphatically” in the race to be the next manager of Rangers after holding talks with the club, according to HLN.
The Belgian outlet reported via their website on 5 October that the former Monaco boss enjoys “extensive interest” from Glasgow as well as elsewhere.
But amid reports that he was set for negotiations over a post in the Saudi Pro League with Al-Shabab it is now reported that he has “ignored offers from the desert” for family and sporting reasons, while also turning down interest back in his home country where he has previously won the Jupiler Pro League three times.
HLN report that Clement and the Light Blues this week “sat around the table to express their vision and conditions”, although the meeting ended without any agreement as yet.
Back in the game
When Foot Mercato reported the approach from Al-Shabab on 4 October it looked like one of the “main” options for Rangers, and arguably the most qualified, had been taken out of the running.
The Light Blues would have virtually no chance to compete with the riches on offer in the Middle East so if Clement was interested in joining the huge numbers heading there the chances of tempting him to turn back to Scotland would have been minimal.
AZ Alkmaar’s Pascal Jansen has ruled himself out, while Frank Lampard and Kevin Muscat have advanced to the final stage of interviews, but Clement’s name stood out from the names linked after Michael Beale was sacked.
The 49-year-old’s three consecutive league titles in Belgium, first with Genk and then twice more at Club Brugge, have drawn more attention than a less successful time in Ligue 1 which ended this summer.
That potentially does a disservice to Muscat, who can himself boast league wins in Australia and Japan but only lasted six months at STVV in Belgium while Clement was winning one of his titles.
If he is rejecting offers from his home country and from Saudi Arabia but has sat down for talks with Rangers then there must be a certain amount of attraction for him, so the head-to-head between Lampard and Muscat may not be a foregone conclusion yet.
In other Rangers news, a European trophy-winner has also launched a late bid to join the running for the Ibrox job.