Philippe Clement pens Rangers contract extension as Ibrox boss declares 'I've fallen in love with the club'
The Belgian boss has committed his future to the Ibrox club until 2028 on the eve of the new season
Philippe Clement has declared he’s “fallen in love” with Rangers after the club announced that the manager has extended his contract at Ibrox until 2028 on the eve of the new Scottish Premiership season.
The Belgian, who took over the reigns in Govan from Michael Beale last October on an initial deal which ran until 2027, has put pen to paper on bumper new terms after leaving the Gers board convinced he is the right man to lead them forward over the long term.
Clement immediately sparked an upturn in form on the pitch following his arrival in Glasgow, which included a League Cup triumph, achieving top spot in their UEFA Europa League group and briefly dragged them back into title contention before arch rivals Celtic pulled clear in the closing stages of the campaign.
Over the summer, he has worked closely alongside Director of Football Recruitment, Nils Koppen to rebuild the first-team squad with the announcement coming at a time when several high-profile and experienced players have left the club or have been heavily touted to depart before the end of the transfer window.
“I have a really open and transparent relationship with the board,” Clement told the Rangers official website after his new deal was confirmed. “In every meeting that we have had you feel the passion and desire to make the club better and that is the same for me. I have fallen in love with the club, with the fans, the stadium and with the city. I see huge potential and now we need to make the club better and stronger in every department, that is our goal, and we are all really aligned about that.”
Clement is in the midst of overseeing a major overhaul with the likes of Connor Goldson, Borna Barisic, John Lundstram, Ryan Jack and Kemar Roofe among the list of names who has headed through the exit door this summer. Others may follow with captain James Tavernier and Todd Cantwell’s futures still up in the air as the Light Blues gear up to start their league campaign away to Hearts on Saturday.
Gers chairman John Bennett stated: “As I intimated in my recent RangersTV interview, Philippe and I had a far-reaching conversation at the end of May. Our shared ambition was clear: the rebuild of the Rangers men’s first team for the long term as well as short term. At that meeting we shook hands on this new contract and the board is delighted that the formalities have been concluded.”