Croatian Nenad Bjelica has reportedly thrown his hat into the ring to take over as the new manager of Rangers after leaving Turkish Super Lig giants Trabzonspor on Tuesday.
It’s fair to say Nenad Bjelica is not letting the grass grow beneath his feet.
The ink is still drying on Bjelica’s P45 – he was dismissed just yesterday after a run of eight defeats in 16 matches (NTV Spor) – but the now-unattached head coach is not waiting around for his next job. There will be no Pep Guardiola-style, New York-based sabbaticals for him.
Nenad Bjelica wants Rangers job
According to TEAMtalk, Bjelica has thrown his hat into the ring as Rangers narrow down their initial shortlist to a few outstanding candidates. The former Croatia international may have arrived on the scene a little too late, however, Rangers already well down the line with Philippe Clement and Kevin Muscat.
TalkSPORT believe that a final decision – likely between the aforementioned duo – is likely to be made before the end of the week.
The odds are shortest on Clement as things stand. The 49-year-old arguably boasts the best CV of any of Rangers managerial targets, having won the Belgian top-flight title three times at Club Brugge and Genk respectively.
Rangers close in on new manager
Bjelica, however, also knows what it takes to triumph domestically.
His Dinamo Zagreb side were crowned the champions of Croatia in both 2018 and 2019. A difficult, short-lived stint at Trabzonspor has left his reputation rather bruised, however, and while Rangers may still entertain his desire to speak to the club’s board, it would be a major surprise if the Ibrox giants shifted their sights away from Clement and/or Muscat at this stage of proceedings.
