Michael Beale will go head-to-head with a carefully selected list of candidates in order to land the Rangers job in the wake of Gio van Bronckhorst’s sacking.
Beale is highly likely to come under consideration. But Record Sport understands Rangers will speak to more than one candidate as they want the process to be as rigorous as possible. However, the former Ibrox coach ticks a lot of the required boxes as far as what the Ibrox decision makers are looking for as director of football Ross Wilson looks to get his next appointment spot on after taking heat in recent weeks and months.
His in-depth knowledge of a lot of the current squad means he wouldn’t be going in with a need to swot up on everyone in the dressing room. Beale would also have goodwill in the bank from the fans due to delivering title number 55 after an unbeaten season with Steven Gerrard at the helm. Part of the staff that stopped ten-in-a-row doesn’t do any harm in the popularity stakes either.
Gers will be hit with a bill of around £3.5million to pay off van Bronckhorst and his backroom team. And it’s understood they will need to find another £1.5m if they want to land Beale from QPR.
Rangers will of course not put all of their eggs in one managerial basket. They’ll speak to a range of candidates, but it won’t be a scattergun approach and will have a shortlist rather than an extensive shopping list.
One name who may or may not be on it is Sinisa Mihajlovic, although the Serb is said to be “very interested” in a potential move to Glasgow.
The Serie A legend enjoyed a 14-year stint playing in the Italian top-flight turning out for Roma, Sampdoria, Lazio, and Inter, before embarking on a managerial career that has so far included stops at Fiorentina, Milan, and most recently Bologna.
The 53-year-old also took charge of the Serbian national side in 2012 and was in the dugout for a scoreless draw at Hampden during Craig Levein’s ill-fated Scotland reign. Mihajlovic was diagnosed with Leukaemia in the summer of 2019 but remained in charge at Bologna throughout his treatment and subsequent recovery.
And speaking exclusively to Record Sport , a source close to the former defender says he is ready to return to the dugout after being sacked by Bologna three months ago. He said: “Sinisa is very interested in the Rangers job. Rangers are a huge club with a glorious past and he would be very happy to come.”
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