Three years after Rangers hammered a nail into his Borussia Dortmund coffin, could the man sent packing from the Europa League by Giovanni van Bronckhorst be in contention for a return to Ibrox?
While the Rangers board remain committed to Philippe Clement for now at least – CEO Patrick Stewart insists no sack is imminent a fortnight on from that Scottish Cup humiliation by Queen’s Park – one of the first tasks facing the San Francisco 49ers, presuming their takeover is successful, will likely be to find a replacement head coach to spearhead a bold new era at Ibrox.
Rangers News understands, meanwhile, that Red Bull are watching those Rangers talks with interest. The energy drink colossus became minority investors at Leeds United on the 49ers watch, and the prospect of a role at Ibrox in the near future cannot be ruled out.
Now, while Red Bull are famed for a transfer policy which revolves around unearthing rough diamonds from less-heralded markets – see Sadio Mane, Dominik Szoboszlai and Erling Haaland – their head coach selections also tend to follow a similar pattern.
See Roger Schmidt, Adi Hutter, Jesse Marsch, Gerhard Struber and ex-Liverpool assistant Pep Lijnders at Red Bull Salzburg. See also Ralf Rangnick, Ralf Hasenhuttl and Julian Nagelsmann at Leipzig.
Coaches united by their commitment to a furious, high-pressing, all-action style. Coaches, particularly in the case of Nagelsmann, Rangnick and now-Monaco boss Hutter, renowned for putting plenty of faith in youth and turning potential into productivity.
Considering what Rangers are likely to be looking for in potential Clement successors – the ability to dominate lesser opponents domestically, while making rising stars central to a high-octane tactical blueprint – the Red Bull model translates pretty well to Ibrox.
Marco Rose could appeal to Rangers when Philippe Clement goes
Marco Rose, meanwhile, earned himself a shot at the Leipzig job after winning two Austrian Bundesliga titles at sister club Salzburg, his Haaland-inspired side going toe-to-toe with Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool in a seven-goal Champions League classic along the way.
Between spells at Salzburg and Leipzig, Rose also took Borussia Monchengladbach to fourth in the Bundesliga. The Foals have not finished higher than eighth in the five seasons since.
Rose’s one and only season at Dortmund, meanwhile, ended in a runners-up placing behind – guess who? – Bayern Munich.
