Lopetegui hire: Shock name thrown into ring for Rangers job, BBC pundit reacts
Rangers would not bring in Julen Lopetegui as their new manager even though he is available, according to Billy Dodds.
Philippe Clement remains a man under pressure at Ibrox after the 3-3 draw against Hibernian last Sunday (5 January) and one fan by the name of Steven thinks the Light Blues should consider hiring Julen Lopetegui as a replacement after the Spaniard was sacked by West Ham.
However, the idea was quickly shot down by former Scottish striker and pundit Dodds, who tipped the former Wolves boss to take some time to put the disappointment behind him.
“I think he’s just trying to recover from losing his job, never mind bringing him in”, the BBC pundit said on The Go Radio Football Show (8 January).
Andy Walker chimed in by saying that the Gers would not be able to afford to sign Lopetegui.
“He’s unaffordable”, he said.
Paul Cooney, meanwhile, added: “How much would he have been on there? £5million-a-year or something.”
When the fan insisted on the idea of hiring Lopetegui, Cooney, the host, pointed out that the Glasgow giants are not in a situation to make such a change.
Cooney: “The point is not so much the name, but Rangers are not in that position just now.”
Philippe Clement to stay in charge at Rangers
Rangers shot themselves in the foot after bottling a lead twice against Hibernian last week. They now find themselves sitting 16 points behind Celtic, albeit with a game in hand.
With consistency still proving to be a problem for the Ibrox outfit, Clement can never be certain about his position as the manager.
However, he may have earned himself time until the end of the season after leading the Gers to a thumping 3-0 win against Celtic at home last Thursday, 2 January.
Rangers showed what they are capable of with a convincing victory over the reigning championship and the club’s hierarchy will hope that the Belgian can inspire similar results from his team moving forward.
That is not to say Patrick Stewart will not be considering options to replace Clement.
Lopetegui, though, is unlikely to be in the mix to take the reins at Ibrox even if Clement was to be sacked.
Having just been sacked by West Ham, the Spanish tactician’s wages are likely to be beyond the Light Blues’ reach.
In other Rangers news, a Championship club are eyeing a cheap deal for this Light Blues ace.
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