Philippe Clement moves closer to securing Rangers £50m+ package with Sparta Prague win
Philippe Clement couldn’t have got off to a much better start with Rangers, as the Belgian extended his unbeaten run at Ibrox to six games.
Thursday (9 November) night’s win was perhaps the most important of his Rangers tenure so far, as the Light Blues stormed past Sparta Prague with a 2-1 victory to massively boost their chances of qualifying for the Europa League knockout stages.
Goals from Danilo and Todd Cantwell ensured that the Gers sit three points ahead of the Czech side in second place in Group C with two matches to play and more than £50million up for grabs in the coming weeks.
Reports emerged earlier this year that the Gers could earn a £50 million-plus windfall should they reach the knock-out rounds of the Europa League, 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, based on European results. Only one club from each country will qualify this way and Rangers are in the perfect position should they progress in Europe.
While Clement’s win and draw against Sparta Prague in recent weeks have alone boosted the Light Blues’ hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages and in turn, the Club World Cup, Thursday’s win has also helped Scotland’s coefficient position.
Scotland’s top 10 place in UEFA’s coefficient rankings, which guarantees the Premiership Champions guaranteed Champions League qualification is under threat, with Austria, Switzerland and the Czech Republic looming behind the Scots [Daily Record, 10 November].
The Czechs are close behind Scotland, with their sides winning 19 points from 27 available in Europe, while Scotland’s sides had only registered six from an available 30. A win over Sparta Prague has helped Scotland’s coefficient hopes as well as pushing Rangers towards a £50million plus influx of cash.
It is clear that the Rangers supporters have taken to Clement as he has quickly improved the Light Blues’ fortunes over the last few weeks and he could well earn the faith of the likes of James Bisgrove and John Bennett should he win the Ibrox club such a lucrative place in the Club World Cup.
The Belgian may have claimed to not be a magician with the power to solve all of Rangers’ problems immediately, but so far he is proving to do exactly that at Ibrox.
In other Rangers news, Ally McCoist was left impressed after he spotted an “excellent” moment from Sam Lammers against Sparta