Philippe Clement ‘salary reveal’ leaves journalist stunned as full details shared
Philippe Clement’s position in the Rangers dugout remains intact, as questions continue to swirl over what it would cost to dismiss him.
The Belgian’s position has become untenable in the eyes of almost every single Rangers fan after his side suffered a 1-0 defeat to Queen’s Park in the Scottish Cup – setting unwanted history in the process.
Becoming the first Gers manager to oversee a home loss to lower-league opposition at Ibrox hasn’t yet spelled the end of Clement, though, with £1.2million in compensation required in order to part ways [Scottish Sun, 11 February].
Such a fee is beyond the means of the Ibrox boardroom, and Hugh Keevins stating that Clement earns £50,000 per week implies that the Belgian could be inclined to even more compensation [Clyde 1 Superscoreboard, 10 February].
Philippe Clement salary claims dismissed amid Rangers crisis
Speaking on The Rangers Review (11 February), Derek Clark and journalist Jonny McFarlane were surprised at Keevins’ claim that Clement earns £50,000 per week, equating to a £2.6m annual salary.
McFarlane said: “I’d be shocked – if Philippe Clement is earning £50,000 a week, that could make him the highest-paid manager in the history of the club, by some distance.
“I’d be surprised if it’s as much as that. It’s a hefty wedge, but I would think that the £1.2million would be closer to a year’s salary, that makes more sense to me than £50,000 a week.
“I think that’s an awful lot, and it would put him ahead of almost every manager in the Championship and some Premier League managers, so that to me is just too high.”
Rangers stuck with Philippe Clement for the time being
The Light Blues having cumbersome financial problems is nothing new – those issues long predate Clement’s appointment – and the Ibrox faithful are now bearing the fruit of years of mismanagement.
Last year’s Rangers accounts read a £17.2m loss owing both to some bizarre dealings in the transfer market and the pay-offs given to Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Michael Beale after their sackings in 2022 and 2023.
Those compensation fees have undboutedly hampered the Gers’ ability to progress into the new era Clement is attempting to lead in Govan; the Belgian having overseen a significant rebuild last summer.
They have also set a precedent for the ramifications of sacking managers mid-season, and with the Ibrox hierarchy hesitant to show Clement the door, they’ll point to the financial setback this would cause.
Clement may be hanging by a thread in the eyes of Bears fans, but unless there is a huge sea-change upstairs, don’t expect to see much movement in the dugout unless Clement opts to resign himself.
The latter looks unlikely in a world of compensation fees and hefty managerial pay-offs, but if Keevins’ £50,000-per-week claims are true, Clement surely reckons that he’s not earning his keep at present.