Rangers have officially landed a new manager in Philippe Clement – and he should be targeting a reunion with Gary McAllister.
Exactly two weeks on from Michael Beale’s exit, Rangers officially have a new man in the Ibrox dugout.
Rangers have confirmed the appointment of Philippe Clement with the Belgian penning a deal until 2027.
Clement brings a history of winning trophies having won three league titles in a row with Genk and Club Brugge.
Clement moved on to Monaco and landed a third-place finish in 2022 before losing his job at the end of last season.
Philippe Clement must now form Rangers coaching staff
Rangers will be delighted to have the new man on board, but the Belgian must now look to form his coaching staff.
Jonas Ivens is likely to be in the mix having served as one of Clement’s assistant coaches at both Monaco and Club Brugge.
The same goes for fellow Belgian Johan Van Rumst, who worked with Clement at Waasland-Beveren, Genk, Club Brugge and Monaco.
Clement is likely to turn to those close to him from previous jobs, but he would also be wise to target a coach who knows the Scottish game.
That could be Alex Rae after his role alongside Steven Davis, but Clement does also have history with a former Rangers man…
Clement should look to bring Gary Mac Allister back to Rangers
Clement had a spell in England as a player, joining Coventry City from Genk way back in 1998.
A defender in his playing days, Clement didn’t really make a huge impact at Coventry but did cross paths with a certain Gary McAllister.
Clement and McAllister played a handful of games together at Coventry and a reunion at Rangers makes real sense.
McAllister served as Steven Gerrard’s assistant at Rangers between 2018 and 2021, before they departed for Aston Villa.
We can understand if some Rangers fans have reservations about bringing McAllister back into the club after his decision to quit.
A move here does add up though given McAllister’s coaching experience, his knowledge of Scottish football and his understanding of the demands at Rangers.
Scottish football can be unforgiving to foreign managers at times and having that experienced sounding board in McAllister could be very helpful.
McAllister having history with Clement only adds to this idea, potentially giving the Belgian some feeling of familiarity as he gets ready to start work at Ibrox.
Maybe Rangers will push for Rae to stay on at Ibrox but Clement would be wise to call up McAllister and offer a reunion in Glasgow after securing the Rangers job.
