Rangers could hire Rohl upgrade in ex-Leipzig manager

Glasgow Rangers could be in the market for a new head coach ahead of their return to pre-season later this month amid speculation over Danny Rohl‘s future at Ibrox.

The German tactician was given the backing of the board at the end of the 2025/26 campaign, despite losing four of the five games after the split in the Scottish Premiership to finish third in the division and ten points off first place.

Now, Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg claims that Austrian team RB Salzburg are pushing to appoint Rohl as their manager for next season and beyond.

The reporter states that the two clubs are in contact to discuss a potential deal for the former Sheffield Wednesday man, as they would need to pay compensation.

If Rohl does depart, Steven Gerrard will inevitably be linked with a return to Ibrox, as he has been for every other managerial change since his departure in 2021.

Why Rangers should not appoint Steven Gerrard

Despite him being out of work at the moment, the Light Blues should avoid the temptation to bring the Liverpool legend back to the club for a second spell.

No Gers manager has won the Premiership since he led the team to an unbeaten title in the 2020/21 campaign, but his jobs since leaving suggest that he would not be a guaranteed success at the club this time.

Michael Beale, who later managed Rangers in his own right, was Gerrard’s assistant manager in the title-winning campaign, but went to pursue his own head coaching ambitions shortly after they both left for Aston Villa.

Gerrard lost more games than he won at both Aston Villa and Al-Ettifaq, after he only lost 27 of his 192 matches in charge of the Scottish giants, winning 124 of those games.

The Gers, therefore, may be better off going for a fresh manager because they may not find the same head coach that they had the first time round with the English boss, given that his backroom staff has changed since then.

Rangers must pursue ex-RB Leipzig manager

Now, with this in mind, the Scottish giants should pursue a different out-of-work head coach instead of Gerrard to replace Rohl if he leaves for Salzburg in the coming days.

Austrian tactician Ralph Hasenhuttl has been out of a job since he left Wolfsburg at the end of the 2024/25 campaign, and the German side went on to be relegated from the Bundesliga without him at the helm.

The former RB Leipzig and Southampton boss could be the club’s best hire since they brought Gerrard in, as he is an experienced and top-quality coach.

He has managed almost 300 games in the Premier League and the Bundesliga combined, which is more experience in Europe’s major five leagues than any of the club’s managers since Gerrard left had combined.

Hasenhuttl, who was described as “unbelievable” by James Ward-Prowse, also has experience at competing at the top end of leagues, as he won the 2. Bundesliga with Ingolstadt in the 2014/15 campaign and finished second in the Bundesliga with Leipzig in 2017.

Rohl, meanwhile, achieved his highest finish as a head coach by finishing third in the Premiership with Rangers, which suggests that the Austrian boss would arrive at Ibrox as an upgrade in the dugout, given his experience and what he has achieved in the game.

Hasenhuttl, who achieved successive 12th-placed finishes in the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg in his most recent job, would be a better head coach than Rohl, whilst also being the club’s best manager since Gerrard.

The 4-3-3 coach has shown that he can manage teams in different situations and produce effective results, winning the league with Ingolstadt and keeping the likes of Southampton and Wolfsburg in their respective leagues.

That shows that he is an adaptable manager who could handle the contrast of managing Rangers in the Premiership and in European competitions, as they need different approaches.

Therefore, the Gers should approach Hasenhuttl to see if he would be interested in a move to Ibrox if Salzburg go through with a deal to appoint Rohl, as he could be an excellent appointment for the Scottish giants.