Rangers considered hiring new Genoa manager Alexander Blessin before landing Giovanni van Bronckhorst as Steven Gerrard’s replacement, Belgian football agent Kristof Vandermissen tells Tuttomercatoweb.
A word of advice Alexander; don’t get too comfortable on the banks of the Ligurian sea.
Earlier this week, trigger-happy Genoa sacked their manager for the tenth time since April 2017. Ukrainian legend Andriy Shevchenko bit the bullet after just 69 days and 11 games at the helm of the Serie A strugglers.
Make no mistake; Blessin cannot afford to stumble out of the blocks if he wants to avoid a similarly grisly fate.
The 48-year-old German signed a contract until 2024 with Genoa on Wednesday. Whether he survives until the end of that deal… well, don’t bet your house on it.
Did Rangers make the right call with Gio van Bronckhorst?
“This summer, several clubs looked for him,” Vandermissen explains. “Clubs like Sheffield, Glasgow Rangers and RB Leipzig thought about him.”
Blessin emerged as one of the leading candidates to take Gerrard’s place in the Ibrox hotseat in November – and with good reason.
He lead an unfancied KV Oostende side to a remarkable fifth-place finish in the Belgian top flight last season, all the while instilling a high-octane brand of exciting, attacking football.
The Jupiler League’s Manager of the Year trophy was a fitting reward.
Oostende’s form has dropped off a cliff since then.
Though that is largely due to the departures of star centre-back Jack Hendry, Belgium international Arthur Theate and the now-Rangers-owned speedster Fashion Sakala.
“Blessin is a coach who demands passion and discipline from his team,” Vandermissen adds. “He always gives his team a positive mentality.
“It was a bit of a surprise that Blessin accepted an offer from Genoa, a club that is currently in danger of relegation, because there were other clubs on his trail.
“But we have seen him do great things in Belgium: perhaps he can do the same in Italy.”
Can Blessin thrive in Serie A?
Blessin had also been identified as a potential successor for the legendary Chris Wilder at Sheffiled United almost 12 months ago. His, like the former Blades boss, favours a free-flowing 3-5-2 system.
Blessin, however, admitted that work permit problems scuppered his chances of a move to Bramall Lane.
The ill-fated Slavisa Jokanovic took over instead. For a bit.
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