Former Monaco and Club Brugge coach Philippe Clement reportedly arrived in London today as he prepares to open talks with Scottish Premiership giants Rangers.
Just last week, it seemed as if Rangers’ pursuit of Philippe Clement was doomed to failure.
The Antwerp-born 49-year-old was already in discussions to take over at Al-Shabab, after all, and while they do not come close to Rangers in terms of their stature or their footballing heritage, the Saudi Arabian outfit are certainly not short of cash.
Fortunately for the Glasgow giants, it seems that Clement’s next job will not merely be dictated by the size of his contract.
Rangers could hire Philippe Clement as new manager
TEAMtalk believe that Clement is ‘extremely interested’ in taking over from Mick Beale. The unattached Belgian touched down in London this morning alongside his representatives too, as Rangers continue to cut down their managerial shortlist to a handful of outstanding candidates.
Clement is certainly that.
The one-time Coventry City defender has won Belgium’s top flight on three occasions – once with Genk and twice with Club Brugge – while being named the country’s Coach of the Year in 2019 and 2020.
And while things turned sourer than the fruit on Mauricio Pochettino’s desk during his time at Monaco, Clement still deserves credit for guiding the Principality club to an impressive third-place finish.
A demanding Rangers fanbase, meanwhile, will be enticed by the prospect of seeing Clement’s high-octane attacking football at close quarters, with some of the stuff served up by Beale’s side in recent weeks a sure-fire cure for insomnia.
‘Great intensity and daring’
“His teams play with great intensity and daring, including on the European stage,” Monaco’s former Tottenham Hotspur director Paul Mitchell says of Clement.
“His ability to combine titles and the development of young players have made him one of the most prominent and successful coaches in Europe in recent years.”
