Philippe Clement could earn £50m+ Rangers windfall already for John Bennett
Philippe Clement’s life at Rangers couldn’t have got off to a much better start, with the new manager masterminding a 4-0 win over Hibernian on his Ibrox debut.
The Belgian manager still has plenty to prove and one win won’t be enough for his tenure to be deemed a success, but first impressions can often be the most important and the former Monaco boss has the opportunity to win over both the fanbase and the Ibrox board in the Europa League.
Most had hoped that the Light Blues would be featuring in the Champions League again this season, but after a failed qualifying campaign under Michael Beale, Rangers are plying their trade in the Europa League, with an opportunity to earn upwards of £50million.
Reports have emerged that the Gers may earn a £50 million-plus windfall should they reach the knock-out rounds of the Europa League this season, as they would then be in contention to qualify for the first edition of the expanded Club World Cup in 2025 [The Sun, 26 October, page 49].
The Champions League winners from 2021 until the end of this season will automatically qualify, alongside a further eight teams from the four-year coefficient list, which is based on European results. With only one club from each country qualifying this way, Rangers are in the perfect position to qualify if they advance through the Europa League knockouts.
That means that Clement faces a huge test very early on in his Ibrox tenure as an early exit from the Europa League would not only lead to criticism from supporters but could also see the Gers miss out on an incredibly lucrative competition that they have a free-run at.
Clement has a good chance of leading Rangers out of the group stages, with all three clubs in the group sitting on three points after the opening two matches, meaning qualification is all to play for and he will be expected to advance into the knockout stages.
Thursday (26 October) sees the Belgian take charge of his first game on the continent with the Light Blues and a win would ensure that Rangers are at least level at the top of the group with three matches left to play, giving them an excellent shot at qualifying.
Progress in the Europa League will not only help Clement win over the fanbase, but John Bennett and James Bisgrove will likely be incredibly appreciative of an extra £50million boost into Ibrox, on top of the money earned for progressing.
Hopefully, the former Moncao boss can have a similar start against Sparta Prague to that he produced domestically against Hibernian.
In other Rangers news, Clement has shared an update on Borna Barisic’s fitness and offered a timeline for his recovery