Last season, Rangers had to deal with Steven Gerrard leaving midway through the campaign. The club had to immediately scramble for a replacement as Gerrard was courted by Premier League club Aston Villa. This was only a few months after he had helped the side win the Scottish Premier League. Gerrard made a huge impact at Rangers, leading the club to its first title in 10 years and also going undefeated over the course of the season.
Any replacement was always going to have a tough job filling Gerrard’s shoes, but it seems that the Rangers hierarchy made a good decision in bringing in Giovanni van Bronckhorst. The former Rangers midfielder and Netherlands international had previously managed Feyenoord and Chinese Super League team Guangzhou. He joined the Scottish Premier League champions in November 2021, and although his side lost out on the title to Celtic, they reached the Europa League final and won the Scottish Cup.
For the upcoming Scottish Premier League season, Celtic are the favourites, according to Betway. Rangers are second favourites, but it would be unwise to count them out. In van Bronckhorst, they clearly have a talented manager, and the team has a lot of potential. Reaching their first European final in 14 years will give them a big boost, and they could upset the odds if they bring in the right reinforcements.
Who is Van Bronckhorst?
Van Bronckhorst was a genuine star as a player, and he’s shown a lot of ability as a first-rate coach too. In 2016, he led Feyenoord to their first championship in 18 years. Before leaving the team in the summer of 2017, he followed that up with two wins in the Dutch Cup, leaving Feyenoord fans delighted with his work.
Van Bronckhorst prefers a passing style that he used while playing for coaches like Dick Advocaat, Arsene Wenger, and Frank Rijkaard throughout his career. When setting up his team to play how he likes, he prefers them to play forward in possession and without the ball too. In 2019, he spent some time working behind the scenes at Manchester City to learn from Pep Guardiola and also draws inspiration from famous Dutch coach Louis Van Gaal.
His style of play has been a perfect fit for Rangers, and some have claimed it’s even better than the football played under Steven Gerrard. Jimmy Floyd Hasslebank is one such player who has given praise to his compatriot, describing his work at Rangers as “more attractive than Steven Gerrard's on the football eye.” However, more work needs to be done if the team are to add trophies to their cabinet and knock Celtic off their perch.
Who Can Rangers Sign This Summer?
The Ibrox club will be adamant about reclaiming the Premiership title from Celtic, but they also have the little matter of Champions League qualifiers later this summer to consider. In an effort to bolster the team, the Rangers manager has added Antonio Colak, Zak Lovelace, and Tom Lawrence, and more signings could be on the way.
The Light Blues are reportedly interested in Bayern Munich midfielder Malik Tillman, and there are also rumours that they could be close to signing Schalke winger Rabbi Matondo. It’s possible that some players could also be leaving the squad, leading to more decisions that have to be made. With only one year remaining on both of their contracts with the team, Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos' immediate futures are still up in the air. Both of these would be a big loss to the team, so it’s important that the situation is resolved quickly.
With the SPL kicking off this month and Ranger’s first Champions League tie in early August, time is running out to bring in new recruits. However, the appointment of Van Bronckhorst looks to so far be a good one, and he could bring lasting success to the Ibrox.