Rangers must move to hire 4-2-3-1 manager

Glasgow Rangers head coach Danny Rohl could be on his way out of Ibrox after finishing third in the Scottish Premiership in his first season with the club.

The German boss came in to replace Russell Martin and brought the Gers back into the title race heading into the final months of the season, before a frustrating last five matches.

Four losses in five games after the split meant that the Ibrox giants finished third in the league and ten points behind the title winners, but Andrew Cavanagh decided to keep his faith in the manager.

Now, RB Salzburg are pursuing a deal to appoint the German head coach and are in talks with Rangers to strike a deal for his services this summer.

It is now down to the Austrian Bundesliga side to pay the compensation package that it will take for the Light Blues to part company with the ex-Sheffield Wednesday man.

Rangers considering move for multiple title-winning manager

Rohl’s last game in charge of the Scottish giants may end up being a 5-2 win away at Falkirk on the final day of the season, a game which did not affect their final league position.

Now, the club have reportedly put together a shortlist of potential replacements for Rohl, should he complete a move to Salzburg in the coming days.

According to the Daily Record’s Andy Newport, Glasgow Rangers have Kevin Muscat, Steven Gerrard, and Derek McInnes on their shortlist of targets.

Fabrizio Romano claims that a deal has been agreed with Hearts to bring McInnes to Ibrox, but Football Insider reports that Ipswich want to hold talks with him as well, which suggests that there may still be hurdles to jump over.

Muscat is still at Shanghai Port after holding talks with the Scottish giants about a move to Ibrox last year when Martin was sacked, and he could be an interesting alterative option if McInnes decides to go to Ipswich instead.

Newport states that the Gers want an experienced head coach to lead them into the 2026/27 campaign, hence why they are looking at Gerrard, McInnes, and Muscat.

Why Rangers should appoint Kevin Muscat

It would be easy to look at recent form and say that McInnes is the standout candidate, as he just finished second in the Scottish Premiership with Hearts, whilst Muscat is 13th in the Chinese Super League after 15 games.

In fact, the Jam Tarts boss would be a smart appointment on paper because he took the club from seventh in the league in the 2024/25 campaign to second this year.

Muscat, though, has an impressive coaching CV and one that suggests that he could be an even better appointment than McInnes if the Gers want to win league titles and trophies on a consistent basis.

The former Rangers defender has won a league title in three of his last four full seasons as a manager, and won five league titles in his career in total, having won two with Melbourne Victory between 2015 and 2018.

Muscat has lifted eight trophies in his career, including cup competitions, whilst McInnes has only won two second division titles and one league cup in his time in Scotland.

This suggests that the 4-2-3-1 manager would be an even better fit for what Rangers need because he has consistently proven, in Australia, Japan, and China, that he can coach teams to dominate and consistently win to lift league titles and domestic cups.

The Light Blues have not won a trophy since Philippe Clement lifted the League Cup in 2023, closing in on three years ago, and they need to bring in a manager who can get them back to winning ways.

McInnes did well to improve Hearts and get them competing for the title, but they ultimately fell short. His career to date does not suggest that he would bring guaranteed success at Ibrox, given his lack of career trophies, even if it could still be a good appointment.

Muscat, though, has proven across multiple countries and leagues that he can win trophies and league titles, whilst playing a dominant style of football in a 4-2-3-1 formation, which is why he would be an even better hire.

That is why the club should pursue a move for the SH Port tactician once Rohl moves to the Austrian Bundesliga with Salzburg ahead of pre-season.