Rangers are reportedly set to appoint Mark Allen as their new Director of Football.
General View of Ibrox Stadium
As reported by the Glasgow Evening Times, Rangers are set to appoint Manchester City’s Mark Allen as their new Director of Football as the club’s summer overhaul continues.
Manager Pedro Caixinha has been moulding his Rangers squad, but the club have also been looking to bring in a Director of Football having seen Frank McParland leave the club alongside Mark Warburton in February.
Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha
Now, Allen – who has served as City’s Academy Director since 2008 – is set to leave the Etihad Stadium to take the Director of Football job at Ibrox, where he will be hoping to play his part in Rangers’ bid to chase down Celtic.
One of the keys to Allen’s job will be using his contacts in the game to help Rangers bring in players, and the natural link will come with his current employers Manchester City.
Celtic’s Patrick Roberts shoots
Having been with City for nine years and worked with the club throughout Sheikh Mansour’s reign at the Etihad Stadium, Allen has worked with a whole host of players at City, and he may look to call upon his time with the club to strike deals at Rangers.
That’s an interesting concept too, given that Old Firm rivals Celtic have had very strong links with City in recent years, having negotiated a host of transfers with the Premier League giants.
Jason Denayer celebrates scoring for Celtic
Jason Denayer and John Guidetti both spent the 2014/15 season on loan at Celtic, before Dedryck Boyata was sold to Celtic in the summer of 2015, with City then trusting the Bhoys to nurture top young talent Patrick Roberts in an 18-month loan deal.
Allen may now be the man to replicate that relationship with City for Rangers, or even attempt to make sure that should City’s young talents become available, they would be heading to Ibrox instead of Celtic Park – and that may just be a way for Rangers to attempt to close the gap to their Old Firm rivals.
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