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?
This time, with a seat in the home dugout to call his own?
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.
Back under the Red Bull umbrella, Leipzig have qualified for the Champions League in each of the last two seasons while defeating Eintracht Frankfurt to claim the DFB Pokal. And while the tide may have turned against Rose of late – he is expected to leave Leipzig in the summer – his team are still fourth, only five points adrift of Eintracht Frankfurt in third.
Presuming Rose is indeed in his autumn days in Eastern Germany, this 48-year-old silver fox will be one of the most attractive managers on the free-agent market come the summer.
Red Bull have already hired him twice. Could they be tempted by the prospect of another reunion at Rangers?
That depends, of course, on a lot of factors. Firstly, whether Red Bull will join the 49ers at Ibrox in the first place. And, if they do, how much power they will wield? And will Rose’s previous failures against Rangers count against him?
Marco Rose praised Ibrox atmosphere after Dortmund loss
It was Rangers – Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s Rangers, to be precise – who helped bring about a premature end to Rose’s time in Dortmund. They triumphed 6-4 in a thrilling Europa League quarter-final clash in 2022 while scoring four goals during the second leg in front of the iconic Yellow Wall.
But the Leipzig-born coach’s impressive CV remains extremely impressive. He brings a style which would appeal not only to Rangers but their potential American bosses. After helping set Haaland, Jude Bellingham and co on their way to superstardom, what could Hamza Igamane, Jefte and Clinton Nsiala achieve on his watch?
Furthermore, Rose already appears aware of what is required in the heat of a Scottish-based battle.
During that Europa League ding-dong, Rose highlighted the fear factor of Ibrox while putting Dortmund’s failure down to a lack of ‘aggression’ on their part. A strange thing for a Rose team, given the importance he places upon winning duels and keeping the tempo high.
“The basic ideas behind my playing philosophy are emotionality, hunger and being active,” Rose would explain earlier in his coaching journey. “We want to be very active against the ball, sprint a lot. We want to win high balls and have a quick route to goal.
“We don’t want to play high and wide, but fast, dynamic and actively forward.”
A spine of Nsiala, Barron, Raskin, Diomande, Cameron and Igamane – all five players under the age of 23 – not to mention rising stars such as Bailey Rice, Findlay Curtis and Paul Nsio, means whoever takes Clement’s place will inherit the raw ingredients capable of cooking up an Ibrox storm.
And, should they play a major role in Rangers’ future, Marco Rose would be a pretty safe bet to follow the Red Bull recipe.
