Rangers will undoubtedly have no shortage of applicants for their vacant sporting director role, which remains one of the most deliberated jobs in football.
The Ibrox club will be keeping their options open as they seek a replacement for Ross Wilson who left his role on Wednesday after accepting an offer from Premier League club Nottingham Forest to become their chief football officer.
With Light Blues boss Michael Beale facing a huge summer squad overhaul, the Govan outfit will know they must aim to close the gap on Premiership leaders and city rivals Celtic by wrestling the title away from Ange Postecoglou’s side next season.
Before that, Rangers have a must-win Scottish Cup semi-final encounter against the Hoops at Hampden Park to contend with later this month in their bid to avoid ending the season without silverware.
Some fans have debated on social media if the club require a Sporting Director going forward after Wilson’s three-and-a-half-year tenure was littered with few highs and plenty of lows.
However, if Rangers opt to proceed with the post and begin their search for Wilson’s successor, what type of candidate will the potentially look for and who might be available? We take a look at 10 possible options:
1. David Weir
A club legend who knows exactly what it takes to bring success from his days as captain and assistant manager to Mark Warburton. Served as Brighton’s player loan manager before stepping up to technical director just over a year ago. It might be difficult to convince him to return to Glasgow.
2. Christian Nerlinger
The German hasn’t filled a DOF role for 11 years but knows all about how to succeed in the job after his three-year spell at Bayern Munich. Spent three seasons at Ibrox during his playing career but injuries and a lack of game time eventually forced him to retire.
3. Paul Mitchell
A standout candidate on paper, but it’s unlikely Rangers will manage to entice him to return to the UK due to his lofty wages. Boasts an impressive reputation across Europe after successful spells at AS Monaco and RB Leipzig. Spent time at Tottenham before his relationship with Daniel Levy turned sour.
4. John Park
Celtic’s former recruitment chief is currently already in a head scouting role at the club after being recruited by Ross Wilson. Had a decent track record of recruiting players at Parkhead, unearthing the likes of Virgil Van Dijk and Moussa Dembele. Could be a short-term option and it would be a relatively seamless transition for him to make. Photo: SNS Group Paul Devlin