Philippe Clement breaks silence as Rangers close in on new manager at Ibrox
Ludo Vandewalle has reported a potential stumbling block in Rangers’ effort to make Philippe Clement their new manager after having “short contact” with the Belgian.
The Light Blues are closing in on appointing Micheal Beale’s successor at Ibrox, with Clement and former defender Kevin Muscat reported to be the final two candidates in the race [Scottish Daily Mail, 10 October] as the Rangers’ board attempts to decide between the pair.
Clement has had interest from other clubs in recent weeks, however, including a reported approach from Saudi Pro League side Al-Shabab [Sabq, 11 October], but Belgian journalist Vandewalle has revealed that the Gers and Al-Shabab may not be the only teams chasing the former Monaco boss.
Speaking on the Record Rangers Podcast on Thursday (12 October) he said: “Last week I had a short contact with him and he said there are some other clubs interested so perhaps there is another club from another competition that is more interested that I don’t know. But Al-Shabab and Rangers that’s for sure.”
Act quickly
All the current evidence suggests that Rangers are closing in on a decision over which candidate they should appoint as their new manager, but if interest is growing in Clement, the Light Blues may need to speed up proceedings to ensure they win the race for the Belgian.
Although he struggled in charge of Monaco, his previous record in Belgium has earned him plenty of credit and there will be plenty of clubs around the globe who are interested in appointing him, so if James Bisgrove and John Bennett have decided Clement is the ideal candidate they may have to act now.
Clement has aspirations of remaining in Europe at this stage of his career, after all, at 49 years old he is still in the relative infancy of his managerial career and Vandewalle has suggested that he one day hopes to manage in the Premier League.
Taking on the Rangers job would put him in the public eye for plenty of vacancies south of the border and as shown by Steven Gerrard, Brendan Rodgers and Ange Postecoglou, leading a team to success in the Scottish Premiership can earn you opportunities in England.
Rangers just now have to make sure that they get their man, assuming they believe Clement is a better fit than Muscat.
In other Rangers news, the reports of a boardroom split at Ibrox over the new manager have been denied by sources at the club