Glasgow Rangers will be hoping Philippe Clement is at Ibrox for the long haul, especially considering the short reigns of the previous two managers.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst may have won the Scottish Cup and led the Gers to a major European final, yet he was sacked after just a year into the job last November.
Michael Beale didn’t even make it to the 12-month mark, being relieved of his duties after just ten months in the role and stability is required should the Light Blues aim to return to the summit of Scottish football.
The Belgian looks a calming presence yet is not one to be crossed, and his methods appear to be working, although it is still early days.
With a new manager in place, the next step for James Bisgrove is to hire a director of football who could work in tandem with Clement and improve the recruitment side of things, as the club have failed to impress in the transfer market since winning the Premiership title in 2021.
Ross Wilson's best and worst transfers at Rangers
When Steven Gerrard was appointed in May 2018, the club took a major gamble on someone who had never previously managed at senior level before.
His first season was decent in spells, yet no trophies were secured and with this in mind, the Gers appointed Ross Wilson as the new sporting director in October 2019, and he would work closely with Gerrard in finding top talent that would only make the Light Blues stronger.
With prior experience working at Southampton during their time in the Premier League along with stints at Falkirk and Watford, Wilson looked like he could be the person that would help elevate the club.
While the Ibrox side would eventually go on to secure their first league crown in a decade two years ago, Wilson’s record in the transfer market is certainly nothing to boast about, especially with regard to incomings.
£23m (via Sky Sports)
£16m (via Sky Sports)
£10m (via Daily Mail)
£1.5m (via The National)
Players such as Kemar Roofe, Ianis Hagi and John Lundstram arrived under Wilson, yet the vast majority of Wilson’s signings struggled to get to grips with the sheer volume of pressure associated with playing for a club like Rangers and underperformed as a result.
Think of the likes of Juninho Bacuna, Cedric Itten and Ben Davies, summer arrivals who cost a pretty penny yet didn’t quite live up to expectations. Of course, Davies is still currently at the club, but he has endured a disappointing 12 months or so in Glasgow.
Wilson did enjoy some success with regard to developing a player trading model at Ibrox, which resulted in Nathan Patterson, Calvin Bassey and Joe Aribo all being sold for incredible profits that in turn have funded future spending.
Bassey joined Ajax for £23m and the sale is still the highest in the club’s history. Despite raising vast sums, Wilson’s legacy at Ibrox will be remembered by winning just two trophies, but he left the club to join Nottingham Forest back in April, with Bisgrove still searching for a new director.
Could Stuart Webber be the ideal candidate to take the job? He looks set to depart Norwich City shortly.
Why Stuart Webber is available
The 39-year-old handed in his notice at the Canaries back in June and was looking to remain at the club for the next 12 months to serve out this notice, but it appears as though he could be leaving sooner than first anticipated.
According to The Sun, Rangers are keen on hiring him as a direct replacement for Wilson, yet they could face competition from Leeds United, who are also keeping tabs on him.
Could it be the right move, however, or will Webber just become Wilson 2.0? The way Norwich have been run in recent years, it doesn't bode well.
Stuart Webber's experience as a sporting director
The director was appointed to the position at the Championship side in April 2017 and oversaw promotion to the Premier League in 2018/19 by winning the second-tier title that season.
Webber also helped develop youngsters such as current Gers start Todd Cantwell while also playing a part in building a wonderful training ground along with appointing a manager such as Daniel Farke, who was key to them getting promotion.
Farke spent four years in charge of the club and while Norwich finished last in the top flight during the 2019/20 season, they rebounded straight back up by once again winning the Championship title during 2020/21.
Webber and Farke brought in players such as Josh Sargent, Angus Gunn and Emiliano Buendia during their time at the club, yet the latter few years have been littered with poor signings in the transfer market along with disappointing results on the pitch.
Cantwell, who was once destined for the very top, departed for Rangers after a poor start to last season, while Norwich failed to challenge for another promotion, finishing 13th under David Wagner.
This season hasn’t gone much better, with the East Anglian side currently occupying 17th spot in the Championship after winning just five league matches all season.
It has not been the finest couple of years under Webber, and he could certainly be a case of Wilson 2.0 should Rangers snap him up in the near future.
A bright start followed by a period in which the club have struggled certainly echoes Wilson’s spell at Ibrox as sporting director and Bisgrove won't want to make the same mistake his predecessors did.
At this present moment in time, Clement looks like he has the confidence to approach the January transfer market with his team of coaches and assistants and aim to improve certain areas of the squad.
Bisgrove should be in no rush to sign a sporting director as at the current moment in time, there are more prevailing issues which need to be fixed.
Until performances on the pitch improve, and the players are finally behind the Belgian, only then will a new sporting director be the key priority.
Webber however, is not the answer to the problems at Ibrox, especially with the way Norwich have been run over the previous few years since their relegation from the top flight in 2022.
