Sources: Rangers in manager talks today as Michael Beale named top new target
Michael Beale is the top Rangers target to become their new manager but he is not the only candidate, sources have told Football Insider.
Ibrox director of football Ross Wilson is leading the hunt for a replacement for the sacked Giovanni van Bronckhorst and has assembled a list of candidates.
Talks will begin on Tuesday with a Rangers delegation led by Wilson heading to London for meetings with prospective candidates and their representatives.
One of those meetings will be with Michael Beale, the current QPR manager who is making an excellent impression in his first senior management role.
Football Insider revealed on 12 November that Beale was Rangers’ favoured candidate to replace Van Bronckhorst.
He is good friends with Wilson and the pair struck up an excellent relationship during the Londoner’s three years as first-team coach at Rangers.
It is believed that Beale is the front-runner at this stage but Rangers will speak to other candidates as they look to secure a replacement by the end of this week.
Speculation about Beale potentially returning to Ibrox intensified when he was spotted at the stadium on 29 October for the 4-1 Scottish Premiership win over Aberdeen.
The 42-year-old followed Steven Gerrard to Aston Villa in November of last year but then severed ties with his former Rangers and Liverpool colleague to take on the QPR job during the summer.
The west Londoners made a mockery of their small budget to lead the Championship after 16 matches but they have now dropped to seventh in the table at the mid-season break.
QPR director of football Les Ferdinand has cleared the way for Rangers to hold talks with Beale and has insisted the club will not stand in his way if he wants to leave.
Beale has already rejected the Wolves job last month.
The Glasgow giants are looking for their 18th permanent manager following the sacking of Giovanni van Bronckhorst earlier on Monday.
The Dutchman was dismissed days after his first anniversary at the helm, and just months after leading the club to a remarkable runners-up spot in the Europa League.
But Van Bronckhorst has paid the price for a calamitous 2022-23 season in which Rangers had the worst Champions League group stage campaign in the competition’s history and went into the mid-season break with their hopes of winning the Scottish Premiership title looking forlorn.
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