A football legend has revealed he has instructed his agent to take him to Rangers, even though he would have to take a “significant pay cut” to go to Ibrox.
The search for a Rangers manager has been aroused.
With Steven Gerrard ruled out of the race to return to Ibrox, Jays’ search for a manager is back to square one.
The 45-year-old was the frontrunner to replace sacked Russell Martin as head coach, but it is understood that after having had constructive discussions with the club, he felt the timing was not right for him to return to Glasgow.
The PA news agency reports that the conversations were positive and both sides agreed to keep the door open for the future, but for now the first major test has been extremely tough for the 49ers enterprise in charge at Ibrox.
Pearce Charles, one of Ger’s top transfer targets, would be less likely to join the club if the former Sheffield Wednesday manager remained in charge, although Danny Rolle currently appears to be the frontrunner for the job, according to reports.
Although chairman Andrew Cavenagh and vice-chairman Parag Malate have promised fans a “rigorous and thoughtful recruitment process”, with both men promising to be “deeply involved” and “taking the utmost care”, the appointment of a young maverick coach like Rolle will feel eerily similar to the risk taken when appointing Martin in June.
As clubs struggle to bring in a managerial candidate who can unite fans across the line, the man the Ibrox faithful will never stop loving has revealed the feeling is mutual.
Gascoigne: I told my agent I would take a pay cut to join Rangers
Former England superstar Paul Gasgoyne, who won two league titles with Rangers, told talkSPORT on Monday that he almost missed out on a move to Ibrox due to a name mix-up, but jumped at the chance to join Walter Smith.
“I loved playing there and had a great time. But I remember when my agent was talking to Lazio about which club I should go to.”
“He mentioned Aston Villa and then Rangers and I said, ‘No, I’m not going.’
“And as I was leaving he said ‘Glasgow Rangers’ and I thought ‘oh, I thought you were talking about Queens Park Rangers!’
“So I said, ‘Okay, let them finish.’ And my agent was negotiating and I said to Walter, I’m going, don’t worry.
“I’d like to go to Rangers, even though it’s a lot less pay. In a week’s time, that’s it.”
‘Gaza’ was one of Rangers’ all-time great players and was already a candidate for the Ballon d’Or before joining the club, finishing fourth at the famous ceremony in 1990, proving the appeal of both the club and Smith himself, who won 21 major trophies as Rangers manager.
Whether or not Rolle or anyone else can get the club back to that level, given the growing financial disparity between Scotland and Europe’s ‘big five’ leagues, fans will be keen to see Cavenagh and Malate find a leader like Smith who can once again turn Ibrox into a stage that can appeal to the best talent in world football.