Rangers manager search latest as Chris Jack shares Philippe Clement update
Rangers have still yet to make a decision on who will succeed Michael Beale as their next manager, according to journalist Chris Jack.
The Gers’ search for a new boss entered its 10th day on Wednesday (11 October), having parted company with Beale on 1 October.
Philippe Clement and Kevin Muscat are widely considered to be the only two contenders left in the frame to take over at Ibrox.
Al-Riyadiah reported on Tuesday (10 October) that Clement had been offered a four-year deal, while PLZ Soccer reported he was due to fly into Scotland later that day to discuss terms further.
However, providing a further update on The Rangers Review podcast (11 October, 2m 15s), Jack said: “Word from the club is that the search and process is still ongoing, and the club is adamant that no decision has been made on any one candidate.
“There was a number of sources in Belgium yesterday who believed it would be Philippe Clement, and there was talk of Rangers sending people out to Belgium for further discussions.
“There were then reports about him flying into Glasgow that were knocked down in a matter of seconds. So the state of play is that it’s not moved on a great amount since we last talked a couple of days ago.
“It’s down to Clement and Muscat. If there’s another candidate in the running, the club have done very well to keep it under wraps. So it’s looking like it’s between those two.”
Hurry up
After a few days of movement, with Frank Lampard and Pascal Jansen seemingly being ruled out of the running, it appears the search is where it was a couple of days ago.
A number of outlets with various sources have reported that Clement is the frontrunner for the job, so it likely now comes down to whether the Belgian wants it or not. If not, Muscat seems the only other viable contender.
Rangers were always going to use the two-week break to ramp up their search for Beale’s successor, but they surely would have expected to have someone in place by now.
The Gers are back in action at home to Hibernian on Saturday [14 October], and they cannot afford to just keep ticking along under caretaker Steven Davis.
There is a massive run of games ahead across three competitions prior to the next international break, so the new manager quite simply needs to hit the ground running.
But with no announcement yet made, and the search still said to be ongoing, that will be easier said than done.
In other Rangers news, Trent Alexander-Arnold has named a former Gers player as the toughest opponent he has ever faced.