While Mark Warburton remains the
odds-on favourite for the Rangers job with his odds in fact shrinking further
to 1/12, there are increasing murmurs within Scottish football circles that
Derek McInnes has emerged as a very dark horse indeed, and that the delay on
the management announcement is due to negotiations with Aberdeen over compensation.
McInnes, who had two years to run
on his existing contract before Aberdeen reportedly offered him a further
extension, had been around 6/1 consistently but has seen those odds reduce to
11/2 in recent days from some outlets, with growing rumours over those
aforementioned negotiations.
It does seem very strange that if
Rangers have indeed chosen Warburton, they have not announced it as yet. West Ham confirmed their new manager Slaven Bilic earlier without too much fuss, pomp,
or ceremony, but Rangers are taking an age to confirm Warburton, casting a
touch of doubt over whether he is the man they have chosen.
And with tonight’s news linking Fulham to the former Brentford boss, while another fellow candidate Vitor Pereira jetted into Turkey for talks with Fenerbahce, the door may have opened a touch for McInnes.
Warburton did appear on Talksport this evening, still showing significant apparent interest in the position, but hinted he may be losing patience with the Club’s dallying.
McInnes would set the Ibrox
coffers back a few hundred thousand for sure, but there is certainly a feeling
a manager as promising as the former Rangers midfielder is would choose the
project in Govan with financial backing over continuing at Pittodrie where he has
probably taken the Dons as far as he can.