If there is one thing now completely clear about new Rangers manager Philippe Clement, it’s that he has absolutely no interest in recruitment at all.
The surprise characteristic about the incoming boss (who is literally on a plane at the time of writing) is that he has zero time, patience or interest in picking or choosing who the club signs, and is absolutely zoned in on tactics, man-management and systems.
He essentially takes the squad he is given, and nurtures what is there, which is clearly a massive boost for Rangers given what is there right now seems to be so bad.
But for those wanting to give Philippe Clement a transfer window ‘to get his own men in’, and to be ‘judged’ on his signings nope, he’s not interested in that. He didn’t do it for any of the clubs he’s managed and we don’t think he will at Rangers either.
Speaking on the topic, Nieuwsblad’s Ludo Vanderwalle cleared it up:
“Transfers in Belgium, the situation is different to what it is in the Premier League or in Scottish League. It’s not the manager who buys the players, okay perhaps an advisory but not more than that, he (Clement) didn’t do that at Genk he didn’t do that at Brugges, and certainly not at Monaco so okay they can ask for his opinion but he doesn’t take the initiative to do that so it was always a sporting director.”
Monaco’s Paul Mitchell has been linked with the switch to Rangers in that capacity, as a Sporting Director, but this manager is more than happy to leave recruitment to others above him, and he gets on with managing the players, the system, the tactics, and picking selection.
Ibrox Noise was never hugely fond of the Sporting Director role, but if Clement is genuinely happy to have one and leave the dirty work of signing and recruitment to a Paul Mitchell or anyone else, then naturally we are too.
But if he actually wants to take control of that area at Ibrox, then naturally we’d support that too.