Clement and Koppen vision verdict shared at Rangers amid recent news from Ibrox
Alasdair Lamont believes Philippe Clement and Nils Koppen will have a “united vision” for where they want to take Rangers in the future.
Clement has recently been linked with the Belgium national team role due to the poor performances of Dominic Tedesco’s men over the recent international break.
Koppen has also found himself in the Gers’ headlines recently after being promoted to technical director.
Writing for the BBC Sport website (20 November), BBC journalist Lamont shared his verdict on where the future now lies for the 50-year-old.
“Some of Clement’s critics would argue the lack of progress on the park and a nine-point chasm at the top of the table are reason enough to make his departure a cause for celebration, but I would suggest patience and stability are more likely to bring about positive change, albeit in the slightly longer term,” he wrote.
“For the moment, though, this talk is speculative. And with Rangers having announced Nils Koppen as the new technical director, you have to imagine that he and Clement have a united vision for how the club will look in the coming years, of how to better manage an organisation that allowed what should have been a turning point in 2021 to slip through its fingers.
“While much of the work required will take place behind the scenes, the latest public steps in that process will be taken at Ibrox on Saturday against Dundee United and then in Nice on Thursday in the Europa League.”
Philippe Clement may be safe at Rangers for now thanks to the promotion of Nils Koppen
Koppen may not have the power to relieve Clement of his duties but as the two have worked together over the last year and conducted the Gers’ transfer business in the summer alongside one another, it feels like the Belgian’s job could be safe for now.
This isn’t likely what most fans want to hear due to their team’s consistent poor performances this term but at the moment, there isn’t really a clear successor aside from perhaps Derek McInnes.
There’s no denying that Clement has kept his role due to the financial constraints that Rangers are under and the fact that the club offered him an extension to his stay shortly after the transfer window closed.
Many fans have been left shocked by Koppen’s promotion but in reality, it’s a move that makes sense, especially with the severe lack of senior members currently behind the scenes at Ibrox.
In football, of course, things can change in an instant and nothing is guaranteed but on paper, it’s hard to see how Clement exits Ibrox any time soon unless the Belgian national team try to pry him away.
In other Rangers news, an update has been shared on the international future of Cyriel Dessers.
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