Gary Rowett claims he has spoken to Rangers about taking charge at Ibrox.
Former Birmingham City manager Gary Rowett
Former Birmingham City boss Gary Rowett has revealed to BBC Sport that he did hold talks with Rangers over their managerial vacancy.
The Gers are in the market for a new manager given that former boss Mark Warburton left the club in acrimonious circumstances last month.
A host of names have been linked with the job, including former Rangers men such as Frank de Boer, Alex McLeish and Derek McInnes, but the favourite for the job is something of an unknown manager.
Al-Gharafa boss Pedro Caixinha is the odds-on favourite with bookmakers this evening, with The Scottish Sun claiming that Rangers hope to have him as their manager for this weekend’s game against Celtic.
The 46-year-old appears to be closing in on the job, but another manager has revealed that he has held talks with the Gers about the Ibrox post.
Gary Rowett impressed during spells with Burton Albion and Birmingham City, turning the latter from relegation candidates to play-off hopefuls following his appointment in 2014.
However, Birmingham bizarrely decided to sack Rowett in December and have struggled massively since, with Rowett still regarded as one of the top young managers in England.
Now, Rowett has told BBC Sport that he did hold talks with Rangers, but there’s no guarantee that the Gers want him as their new manager – and he added that he wants a big job with pressure, whether it’s with Rangers or another club.
Former Birmingham manager Gary Rowett
“It is public that I met Rangers,” said Rowett. “Again, it is a compliment clubs like that are willing to meet me. It doesn’t mean to say they want me to be their manager. I just had a conversation with the club. It is like anything, especially being an out of work manager, people say ‘would you like to meet?’ It was important for me to go and meet them and share my vision and my philosophy. I have done that with a few clubs who are looking for their next manager.”
“That is what you are in football for. The bigger the pressure, the bigger the club, the bigger the games, the bigger the competition. You want to work at the highest level at any club and you want the biggest club possible. Whatever decision any of these clubs make, not just Rangers, that is their prerogative. Certainly, I have had some good conversations with some good clubs.”
“It is nice for me to know my reputation in the game is still fairly strong. I want to work. I think I have been pretty successful. I think I have improved as a manager and have shown I can add really good value to any club at any level,” he added.
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