While at this stage everything surrounding Steven Gerrard remains, we suppose, online rumour, a lot of the information has become rather concrete. We do know that Gerrard and the Rangers board have met — not once, but on more than one occasion. Consultations have definitely taken place.
An agreement, as we already broke to you on Ibrox Noise earlier this week, is in place. Gerrard has said yes in principle. However, what we were unaware of at the time, and what now appears to be circulating as a new rumour, is that Gerrard has been given — or will be offered — a five-year deal.
We would not endorse that. It would be a really bad move. Rangers have repeatedly made this mistake: appointing the wrong man, handing him a bumper contract, and then paying out millions to remove him when it all went wrong. If this story proves true, Gerrard could make an absolute fortune from Rangers if things don’t work out. And that would be entirely down to the club’s failure to protect itself.
A three-year deal would be understandable, even if still a little long. Ideally, we’d prefer two years — with the second year being a rolling option. That way, Gerrard would have to prove himself over time. He’d need to justify his worth and show that he truly is the right man before earning a longer-term agreement.
A five-year contract from the outset, however, would be absurd. We would not support it in any way. Rangers’ boards have made far too many costly mistakes in the past, and this would simply be another one. Sadly, with Patrick Stewart as the chief figure behind all of this, we can’t say we’re shocked. He continues to look completely ill-suited and unfit for purpose.
That said, for now, this remains a rumour — and we genuinely hope that’s all it is. Because if it turns out to be true, a five-year deal for Gerrard would be completely unacceptable.