Now that Ross Wilson has left the building, Rangers are without a sporting director.
The 39-year-old was confirmed as Nottingham Forest’s new chief football officer on Wednesday night, bringing a three-and-a-half year stint at Ibrox to an end. During that time, the Ibrox club won a first Premiership title in a decade as Steven Gerrard, working closely with Wilson, denied Celtic Ten-In-A-Row to claim league crown number 55.
Since then however, the Hoops have re-established themselves as top dogs in Scotland, winning the title back last year, lifting two League Cups and are 12 points clear with just seven matches remaining in this campaign after beating the gers 3-2 at Parkhead last weekend. Wilson has come under fire from Gers fans for, in their eyes, failing to capitalise on the league triumph and have been calling for his removal at games this season after this season's recruitment didn't produce the required results.
He’s now gone, but who could replace him? Record Sport looks at potential candidates to slot in and work with Michael Beale on building his own Rangers squad.
John Park
Currently a senior scout at Ibrox, Park has extensive experience in recruitment, having spent nine years across the city at Celtic and helped identify the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Fraser Forster, Victor Wanyama and Mopussa Dembele. Prior to that, he oversaw the academy at Hibs which produced stars such as Scott Brown, Kevin Thomson, Derek Riordan, Garry O’Connor and Steven Fletcher.
Whether Park would be keen to step into the much higher profile role vacated by Wilson remains to be seen. He had a close relationship with the former sporting director and would have been involved in the same recruitment Wilson took flak for. But he could prove a straightforward, fast solution, at least in the short to medium term.
Christian Nerlinger
The German spent three years as a player at Ibrox, albeit hampered by injuries, and his most recent role was as a sporting director at Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich so there’s no doubting his credentials for the role.
However, he would have to operate under a vastly reduced budget in comparison to Bayern Munich in terms of recruitment. But the 50-year-old is now working as an agent so could unearth some gems as well as having knowledge of the German market where Gers plucked Malik Tillman from.
Nerlinger, of course, held talks about this position at Ibrox previously when they were in the lower leagues but opted against it. He told The Athletic in an interview last year: “A headhunting agency contacted me and asked whether I could imagine being the sporting director at Rangers. I had talks with Graham Wallace (then-chief executive) in London. They were in a difficult situation but you don’t need to sell the vision of this club.
"It was hard to see how the club had to start from the beginning but knowing the power (of the support), it was clear it was only a question of time before they came back. It would have been exceptional as, despite all the injuries I had, it was fantastic to experience Ibrox, the supporters and the city. It was a huge honour to be asked. I took a long time to discuss it with my family and close friends but decided out of private reasons not to do it.”
David Weir
Weir is an Ibrox legend after his time as a player, but was sacked when Mark Warburton's reign in Govan was ended, having been the Englishman’s No 2. Previously loans manager at Brighton, Weir has since stepped up to the role of technical director at the Amex after Newcastle poached recruitment star Dan Ashworth to lead their Saudi-funded transfer drive.
Weir would appear top tick a lot of the boxes for Rangers. However, currently in a high ranking but perhaps less pressurised role at an English Premier League club, it could prove difficult to tempt him back to Glasgow, especially having previously been sacked by the club. Appears to be the fans' choice.
Paul Mitchell
Mitchell has an impressive CV, which includes Tottenham, RB Leipzig and Monaco, where he is currently Sporting Director. After working at MK Dons, he was responsible for taking Dele Alli from his former club to North London.
Mitchell was actually interviewed by Rangers back in 2017, but he remained with Spurs before moving on to Germany and now France. However, he’s set to end his time in the principality this summer in order to return to the UK, which could see Rangers reignite their interest now Wilson has left.
Michael Edwards
Another with good pedigree in the game, Edwards quit his role as Liverpool’s sporting director last June, saying he wanted a break from the game. Since then, his replacement at Anfield, Julian Ward, has announced his intention to do the same.
The Reds could well try and tempt him back, although Edwards previously turned down an approach from Chelsea after Todd Boehly’s takeover. Such links may mean he is financially out of Rangers’ reach, but a change of scene and likely more responsibility may appeal and it would certainly be worth having a conversation.
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