Danny Rohl has officially arrived and, with that, Rangers have already reportedly joined the race to secure his first signing in the form of a talented midfielder.
Charlie Austin: Rangers should be “excited” by Rohl
After Russell Martin’s disastrous 123-day spell in charge, Rangers fans are understandably apprehensive when it comes to welcoming a young manager with open arms. Rohl arrives at just 36 years old and with just one permanent managerial role under his belt. According to former Premier League striker Charlie Austin, however, the Gers should be excited by his appointment.
“The Rangers fans, yes you can say, ‘do you think he’s going to be Russell Martin 2.0?’ and all that, but you don’t go and work for clubs like he has done, German national team, Leipzig, Bayern Munich and then to go on to the job he did at Sheffield Wednesday, keeping them in the championship, was phenomenal.
“So now the biggest bit is going to Rangers, realising how big the club is, but I’d be excited about him coming in.”
In terms of the tactics that Rangers can expect, they can forget the slow build-up that Martin demanded his side to play. Rohl is far more about counter-pressing in what has become synonymous with German football over the years.
The young coach has worked with some fantastic attacking managers, including Barcelona’s Hansi Flick and Ralph Hasenhuttl when his Southampton side were at their very best.
He wasn’t their first choice, but Rohl may yet turn into the best choice at Rangers. Up first, he has the task of getting the Gers back to winning ways on the European stage against Brann, before travelling to face Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership.
Meanwhile, as another manager arrives, Kevin Thelwell and the 49ers have already reportedly joined the race to hand him his first Rangers signing.
Rangers battling to sign David Watson
As reported by TeamTalk, Rangers are now battling to sign David Watson to hand Rohl his first signing. The Kilmarnock midfielder is on course to leave as a free agent when his contract expires at the end of the season and has attracted interest from those at Ibrox as a result.
That said, the Gers aren’t alone in their pursuit. Joining them, shock league leaders Hearts have also set their sights on signing the young Scot at the end of the season. A league title could certainly hand them an advantage over Rangers for the first time in a long time.
It’s no surprise that the top clubs are after Watson’s signature, either. The 20-year-old is one of the best young talents in Scotland and has been involved in four goals in eight league games so far this season.
Earning plenty of praise amid that form, Kilmarnock vice-captain Robbie Deas told reporters: “Davey’s fantastic, honestly. He’s one of the hardest workers you’ll ever meet. He’s absolutely fantastic. You see that today, and he’s putting those tackles in later on.”
Signing a young midfielder to match a young manager with lofty ambitions would be an ideal way for Rangers to commence the Rohl era. To do so, though, they’ll have to fend off plenty of interest.
