Rangers sporting director Ross Wilson has dropped an intriguing claim after Giovanni van Bronckhorst was confirmed as the club’s new manager subject to the receipt of a work permit.
The announcement that so many Bears were hoping for arrived at 4.45pm on Thursday afternoon.
It’s a third managerial role for GvB, who’s previously taken charge of Eredivisie side Feyenoord and Chinese Super League outfit Guangzhou City FC.
The announcement comes just a week after former boss Steven Gerrard abruptly swapped Glasgow for Birmingham to replace Dean Smith at Aston Villa.
It’s a quick turnaround given that multiple candidates were interviewed.
However, interestingly, Wilson has asserted that GvB has been on the club’s radar for some time, aiding the recruitment process.
“Gio has been part of a long list of managers we have been tracking for a period of time to ensure we are always ready,” he said [Rangers.co.uk]. “When Steven intimated his decision last Wednesday, we immediately got to work on what was then a focused shortlist.”
“We held initial talks within 48 hours and concluded our decision-making within six days of the role becoming available.
“We found agreement with Gio extremely quickly and we have enjoyed working with him on assembling the backroom team that will complement an already excellent support staff that we have built here at Rangers.”
Given van Bronckhorst’s previous exploits at the club as a player and the promising start he’s made to his coaching career, it looks to be a very strong appointment and the former Netherlands international can expect a big welcome back from the supporters when he takes charge of the team for the first time.
His appointment should give the playing squad a major boost ahead of Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup semi-final against Hibernian.
