Vital Rangers can reveal that Giovanni van Bronckhorst wants to be the next manager of Rangers.
From a very strong source in Rotterdam with close links to the GvB camp, the 1998-99 treble winner wants to return to Glasgow to take the job, following Steven Gerrard’s move to Aston Villa.
Crucially, there has not yet been contact from Rangers to van Bronckhorst’s representatives, who are aware that there is “a lot of competition” to replace the departed Gerrard.
Despite reports online of contractual issues with his last club, Guangzhou R&F in the Chinese Super League, there is said to be no outstanding financial obligations or ties that would prevent the 46-year old from taking up a new role in management. He left China last year mainly due to the onset of the pandemic and its impact on his role as well as his family life.
Now refreshed and ready to go again, van Bronckhorst is hungry for a new challenge and sees the Rangers job as an attractive opportunity.
Background
On paper, GvB is a great fit for the role and he will tick more boxes than the vast majority of other contenders.
Having played at Ibrox under Dick Advocaat between 1998 and 2001, he has that important understanding of Scottish football and life in Glasgow. His next move would take him to Arsenal and on to Barcelona, before finishing his career back at Feyenoord, where he took his first steps in management.
Crucially as a coach, Gio has deployed a 4-3-3 system, similar to the current Rangers style, which saw the Rotterdam club clinch their first Eredivisie title in 18 years, under his leadership in 2017. By his side was Jan Wouters who also served as an assistant to Advocaat as well as Alex McLeish.
As a a player, he won domestic honours in four countries including league titles in Scotland, England and Spain. He was an integral part of the Netherlands squad for many years, reaching the World Cup Final in 2010.
As a manager, he worked through Feyenoord’s youth set-up, then assisted Ronald Koeman before taking on the job himself, winning one league crown and two Dutch cups during a successful four year term. As well as his spell in China, he also spent time learning and developing from Pep Guardiola at Man City.
Given this vast experience, pedigree and stature there has been plenty of clamour for the Dutchman with many Rangers fans calling for van Bronckhorst to return given the overall credibility of the potential appointment and the existing links, as above.
The decision to close in on a preferred candidate will largely be led by Ross Wilson, Rangers sporting director, who will have been montoring other coaches as a routine part of his role, with the need for contingency and forward planning being highlighted this week with the shock developments around Steven Gerrard’s exit.