Philippe Clement, who was hired as the team’s new manager on a three-and-a-half year contract, has set his eyes on building a “successful, winning Rangers.”
After a final round of interviews with chairman John Bennett, chief executive officer James Bisgrove, and Rangers great Graeme Souness, the Belgian was selected as the favored candidate.
Kevin Muscat, a former Rangers defender, and Clement were in a two-horse fight for the position. Clement will see his players on Monday before making his Ibrox managerial debut against Hibs on Saturday.
After Michael Beale was fired a fortnight ago for a bad season start, the 49-year-old will become the 19th manager in Rangers history—and the fourth in just two years.
Clement, a former member of the Belgian national team, has a remarkable managerial resume that includes three straight Belgian championships with Genk and Club Brugge, as well as noteworthy Champions League draws with the latter against Real Madrid and PSG.
Since leaving Monaco in June, he has been jobless. After leading the team to third place the year before during his 18 months in command, he missed out on Europe as a result of Ligue 1’s sixth-place finish last season.
After eight games in the Premiership, Rangers are seven points behind Celtic and tied with four other teams in Group C of the Europa League. Under interim manager Steven Davis, the team had won at home against Real Betis before losing away to Aris Limassol.
“I am honored to have been appointed as the new manager of Rangers Football Club, and I’d like to thank the board for giving me this opportunity,” Clement said on his hiring, according to the club’s official website.
“This opportunity to succeed at one of Europe’s most illustrious clubs across four tournaments in what is left of this season and beyond excites me tremendously.
“As we work together to build a successful, winning Rangers, I am looking forward to meeting with the players in the coming days and to meeting our supporters at next Saturday’s home game against Hibernian.
As his time at Rangers begins, Clement will face a busy schedule of games, beginning at home against a revitalized Hibs, followed by a trip to Sparta Prague in the Europa League and a Viaplay Cup semifinal against Hearts at Hampden at the beginning of next month.
John Bennett, the chairman of Rangers, continued, “I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to Philippe as he joins our team as our 19th manager.
“His selection follows a thorough and properly thought-out hiring process. The last 10 days have been spent evaluating a number of high caliber applicants by a team lead by our CEO James Bisgrove, board members, and former Rangers player and manager Graeme Souness. These candidates went through a thorough interview and vetting process. We appreciate the interest shown by each applicant for the post.
“Philippe proved to be the outstanding candidate across all the key criteria, reinforced by his track record of winning titles,” said the interviewer. “I wish him every success as he leads us forward.”
