The Rangers board are set to appoint a new Director of Football within the next two weeks amid links to Sam Jewell at Brighton and Alex Inglethorpe at Liverpool.
The Glasgow Times are reporting that Rangers fans can expect the club to finally replace now-Nottingham Forest Director of Football Ross Wilson within the fortnight.
However as things stand it remains unclear who will be the person to take up the mantle.
This comes after Rangers released their financial results from the last year, with the club turning a small profit of £252k, their second successive year in the green.
In a statement to supporters, Rangers chairman John Bennett appeared to point towards a Director of Football appointment as the club look for “systematic success” in player trading.
After the club posted record commercial income, sold season tickets in record-breaking time and once again qualified for European group stage football, John Bennet claims it is the 4th pillar of player trading which “requires attention”.
“Football is a business which is particularly prone to being reactive,” said Bennett. “While this may be inherent to the industry, sustainable success can only come when we are systematic in our processes and in our actions.
“It is my firm conviction that this is a pre-cursor to returning the club to the status of serial winners.
“I have talked previously of the four components of financial sustainability: season ticket sales, commercial revenue, European football and player trading. While the first of these components will never be taken for granted, it is the fourth that requires attention.
“Player trading will always be inherently volatile, yet Rangers must replace sporadic “wins” with systematic success. It is a given that it all begins with player recruitment.
“This is an area of priority for your Board, and we anticipate that the coming months will see a strengthening in the leadership and processes of our football department, specifically with this in mind.”
Rangers close in on Director of Football
The comments of John Bennett are a clear nod to Rangers appointing a new Director of Football – especially in lieu of comments made by James Bisgrove at a Fans’ Forum last week – and fans will expect the club to now put their money where their mouth is.
Whilst Brighton have dispelled links to much-lauded recruitment guru Sam Jewell, the likes of Liverpool’s Alex Inglethorpe and ex-Norwich City director Stuart Webber have also been mentioned.
There have also been links to former AS Monaco Director of Football Paul Mitchell, whilst one-time Arsenal chief Steve Morrow and ex-Ibrox captain turned Atalanta United Technical Director Carlos Bocanegra have been subject to reports.
Whoever comes into the Rangers Director of Football role does so with a sizeable weight of expectation given the comments of John Bennett and the club clearly believe in the appointment.
If the Gers can get player trading right then it will have a monumental impact on and off the park and it very much sounds like there are some exciting times ahead.
