Here are six box office candidates who could come into the thinking of the 49ers at Rangers.
Rangers are on the hunt for their next permanent manager – but will the 49ers bring with them a star-studded name?
The Enterprise wing of the San Francisco-based NFL franchise are in talks for a takeover at Ibrox. They are already in control at Leeds United in the English Championship and could be set to complete their takeover at Rangers in time for the start of next season.
One pressing task will be the hire of a new manager with Barry Ferguson currently the interim caretaker after Philippe Clement’s sacking. Looking at six managers available for work right now, here are six possible candidates the 49ers could consider, from European tested gaffers to those formerly of Everton.
Gary O’Neil
O’Neil comes from a youth background at Liverpool and won plenty of plaudits for the first job he did with Bournemouth. His departure at the time was deemed as harsh and he then guided Wolves to the last eight of the FA Cup and mid-table in his full season at Molineux. This campaign did not go to plan but enough proof at the English table that he’s a forward thinking manager capable of playing the attack-minded football Rangers fans will crave.
One who been touted in the debate circles. Dyche was a success at Burnley and many have praised the job at Everton amid instability and seasons where the drop seemed a possibility. Football is very much in a defensive mindset though, with controlled and disciplined approaches not exactly working for Clement or Gio van Bronckhorst at Ibrox. That said, would be a major name to lure to the dugout.
Sean Dyche
Asked about a return to the dugout on the Rest is Football recently, Dyche said: “I think so. I don’t think immediately. I think I am OK at the minute, I am catching up with a few life things and enjoying a bit of down time. I am not obsessively watching football. I am watching my lad, he plays for Northampton, and my daughter ran the Rome marathon – I went to see that, she did amazing; so proud of her.
“These things that you can’t always get time to do; when we finish I am going for nine holes of golf. Just a few gigs, a bit of down time, go abroad, a few beers here and there and some media stuff – but when the bug gets you, you know what it’s like…I don’t want to do it (management) forever, I have got other things that I am interested in. I have been offered a lot through the media which is under consideration. I wouldn’t say I am going to do everything, but I am going to touch in with a few things – a bit with talkSPORT; just enjoy it really.”
Steven Gerrard
He’s always going to be getting a mention when it comes to Rangers and their next manager, isn’t he? Well, there are fewer ample times to get the Liverpool icon back to Ibrox as he is now free following his exit from Al Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia. He is the last person to have won the title for Rangers back in the 2020/21 season and is held in high regard by fans for that, despite leaving for Aston Villa less than a year later. That spell didn’t go to plan and time in Saudi wasn’t exactly a stellar success either. But he is a box office name and brought so much attention to Rangers last time out.
Russell Martin
A progressive ball playing style manager, this would be a complete deviation away from what has been happening at Rangers under Clement. Martin plays a brand of total football, which won Southampton promotion and won him suitors with MK Dons plus Swansea City, but also had him exploited at Premier League level.
One of the UK’s emerging coaches though and would be a coup for Rangers to get him. Also had a loan at Ibrox in his playing career. He recently told Sky: “I think I’m realistic and I don’t think I get another Premier League chance right now. I think like most managers that come from the Championship is like they get there and are not quite good enough for the Premier League.
“Which is maybe unfair on the managers that get there at times because you’re there with a squad that has been so successful a year before but it is not maybe not quite ready for the Premier League. But I think there’s only two managers have been taken out the Championship for a long time – Nathan Jones and Graham Potter – and the others have to get there and try and stay there and then be deemed a success.
“So I really don’t know. I’m really open to working abroad in England again, I want to work back in the Premier League after having a taste of it. I hope I will get back there and believe I can so we’ll. we’ll just have to wait and see.”
Rafa Benitez
Marco Rose
A report from the Daily Record linked Rose to the vacancy at Ibrox and he certainly comes with pedigree, having managed some of Germany’s biggest clubs in Monchengladbach, Borussia Dortmund and now RB Leipzig, who he was dismissed by over the weekend to make him a free agent, There is also the Leeds United connection, who Reed Bull have made a significant investment in.
RB Leipzig’s managing director for sport, Marcel Schäfer, said of Rose’s exit: “We have believed in our cooperation with Marco and his team for a very long time and, up to now, tried everything to turn things around together. Given the development and the continued lack of results, we’re all firmly convinced that we need new impetus for the remainder of the campaign in order to achieve our aims for the season. We’d like to thank Marco and his coaching team for the success we enjoyed together and their commitment to the club.”
