Rangers face new manager blow as rivals ‘determined’ to stop them signing candidate 'open' to Ibrox move
Rangers continue their search for a new manager after sacking Russell Martin
Rangers have a lot of pressure on their shoulders to get their next permanent manager appointment right.
The club confirmed the end of Russell Martin’s disastrous tenure on Sunday, making him the fourth manager to be dismissed from Ibrox in under three years. Now, the club are back to the drawing board and their search is proving a tricky one to navigate.
There are plenty of names linked with the vacant Rangers jobs but their current situation does not make for a convincing sales pitch. Martin has left the Light Blues eighth in the Scottish Premiership table, 11 points adrift of leaders Hearts.
Whoever comes in next will be faced with the hefty task of turning Rangers’ season around, which could rule out some leading candidates.
Hearts will ‘resist’ contact from Rangers for Derek McInnes
Derek McInnes is one name linked with Ibrox but the Jambos plan to do everything they can to stop a switch from happening.
That’s according to our sister website, the Edinburgh Evening News, who report that Hearts will ‘resist any attempt’ from their Scottish Premiership rivals to lure McInnes away from Tynecastle.
The Jambos are flying at the top of the league table thanks to a stunning start to the season under McInnes. With 19 points on the board, they are two clear of reigning champions Celtic and remain unbeaten in their opening seven games.
Hearts are ‘determined’ to see off any interest from Rangers, who have previously been linked with bringing in their former midfielder to manage the side.
The report claims that as things stand, Hearts are ‘relaxed’ over the situation, as there has not been any official approach from Rangers for McInnes so far.
Derek McInnes ‘would be open’ to becoming Rangers manager
Rangers may not have made a move for McInnes but GiveMeSport has reported that he ‘would be open’ to making the switch from Tynecastle to Ibrox, should the opportunity present itself.
The Hearts manager reportedly has a release clause in place, which is believed to be ‘relatively low’. However, the report has also mentioned the uncertainty of whether Rangers would approach the Jambos boss during this time, with other candidates also on the radar.
The likes of Sean Dyche, Kevin Muscat and Steven Gerrard have been heavily linked with the job, with the latter in particular emerging as a leading candidate. However, there are some things to discuss between Rangers and Gerrard, if he is to make a return to his old club.
According to Sky Sports, Rangers want to speak with their former manager over potentially offering him his old role. The two parties were unable to reach an agreement over the summer prior to Martin’s arrival and now, Gerrard’s family is key factor to consider.
The Gerrards are currently ‘settled’ in the Middle East, despite the Liverpool legend leaving his position as manager of Saudi Arabia side Al-Ettifaq in January.
Doubts have also been raised over whether Gerrard would be willing to join Rangers at such a rocky time. The new manager will need to work on rebuilding the team’s form and pushing up the table, which Chris Sutton believes is a job more tailored to the likes of Dyche and may not be something Gerrard wants to do.