Luis Castro, a veteran Portuguese coach currently working in Brazil with Botafogo has been linked with the vacant Rangers job in what is a surreal twist to the current situation at Ibrox.
The line will bring back unwanted memories of Pedro Caixinha but it is so left-field that it just can’t be true.
Luis Castro has had something of a journeyman managerial career with the only notable spell coming with Shakhtar Dontesk between 2019-21 in which he won a league title, a Europa League semi-final as well as a Champions League group stage double over Real Madrid.
What is this all about then?
Late on Friday night, a Brazilian journalist reported on Twitter that Castro had been ‘approached’ by Rangers as an alternative option if the planned capture of Michael Beale does not work out.
The link to Goal.com Brazil provided more background to this claim.
Luís Castro, do Botafogo, foi procurado pelo Rangers, da Escócia. O técnico é opção caso a negociação com Michael Beale não avance. @GoalBR
— Raisa Simplicio (@simpraisa) November 25, 2022
As well as being a suggested target for Flamengo, it was suggested that:
“Luís Castro entered Rangers’ sights. The British team has the Portuguese as an option if the negotiation with Michael Beale does not evolve, a factor that also makes it difficult to advance with the Red-Blacks. “
As is clear, the story above leads with the possibility of Vitor Pereira taking over at Flamengo, following his time with Corinthians in Brazil. There had been some earlier speculation that he would throw his name into the hat for the Ibrox job after he was very close to making the same move back in 2015. If Rangers had negotiated the Premiership play-off with Motherwell, it is understood that the Portuguese was lined up to take over but remaining in the Championship opened the door for Mark Warburton to come to Glasgow.
More recently, Pereira was said to be close to the Everton job prior to Frank Lampard’s arrival at Goodison.
In regard to Castro and Rangers, it is really expected to be a non-runner to say the least.
A source close to Vital Rangers was very dismissive, stating: “It very much sounds like an agent leaking the Rangers situation for their own ends.”