Rangers CONFIRM new manager as Philippe Clement takes over Ibrox hot seat

PHILIPPE CLEMENT has been appointed the new manager of Rangers.

The former Club Brugge and AS Monaco boss, 49, succeeds Michael Beale in the role after the Englishman was sacked last month.

AlamyPhilippe Clement has been announced as the new Rangers manager[/caption]

SunSport revealed earlier this morning that Clement had won the race to become the new Rangers manager.

He’s signed a three-and-a-half-year contract at Ibrox running until 2027.

Speaking for the first time following his appointment, Clement said: Clement said: “I am honoured 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.

“I am hugely excited by this chance to achieve success at one of Europe’s most iconic clubs across four competitions in what remains of this season and beyond.

“I am looking forward to meeting with the players in the coming days and to meeting our supporters at next Saturday’s home match with Hibernian, as we set out together to create a successful, winning Rangers.”

Clement’s his first game in charge will be that home clash with Hibs on October 21, with the Gers returning from the international break seven points behind Celtic.

We revealed how the Belgian had emerged as the leading candidate on Monday night after impressing the board during the interview process.

Speaking on the process for the first time, Rangers chairman John Bennett explained why Clement had become the “outstanding” candidate.

He said: “I would like to offer my warm congratulations to Philippe as he becomes our 19th manager.

“His appointment comes at the end of a carefully planned and comprehensive recruitment process. A team led by our CEO James Bisgrove, members of the board, and former Rangers player and manager Graeme Souness, has spent the last 10 days interviewing several high calibre candidates, with those individuals undergoing a rigorous interview and vetting process. We thank all candidates for their interest in the position.

“Philippe proved to be the outstanding candidate across all the key criteria, reinforced by his track record of winning titles and I wish him every success as he leads us forward.”

Clement, a defender in his playing days, led Genk to the Belgian Pro League title in 2018/19 before taking the job at Club Brugge.

He won two successive league championships with the Belgian giants and lifted the Super Cup in 2021.

Monaco came calling midway through the 2021/22 season and he oversaw a turnaround in results to propel Les Monégasques to third in Ligue 1, going unbeaten in their final ten league games (a period of two months).

His second season in the municipality didn’t go well though as Monaco missed out on European football for the following campaign by finishing sixth in the league.

They also crashed out of the Coupe de France at the first hurdle, failed to qualify for the Champions League and were eliminated at the first knockout stage if the Europa League.

In his playing days, Clement turned out for K Beerschot, Genk, Coventry City, Club Brugge and Germinal Beerschot and earned 38 caps for his country.

As a manager he won several coach of the year awards in Belgium.

His playing style relies heavily on width from full-backs and with Rangers known for their use of James Tavernier as an attacking threat in particular, it’s a way of playing that could match up well.

Defensively he likes his teams to sit high, another factor that could bode well for Gers particularity in Scotland as they look to compress opponents into their own half.

Earlier in the process Ibrox chiefs ruled out Scott Parker but Kevin Muscat remained in the running, vowing to quit Yokohama F. Marinos should he be offered a return to where he won a treble in 2002/03.

Muscat, 50, had been the favourite to succeed Beale from early on but doubts emerged as to when he’d be able to take over given his contract runs until December and the Japanese title race was in full swing.

Gers midfielder Nicolas Raskin, a compatriot of Clement, gave a ringing endorsement of the manager prior to the appointment.

He said: “I don’t know him personally, but he did very well with the teams he had in Belgium.

“And he also did incredibly well at Monaco, so let’s see what happens in the future.

“Would he be a good fit here? Yes, I think he’d bring some clarity and an attacking style. So I think he’d be good.”

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