Beale now works as first-team coach to the Rangers manager, Steven Gerrard, at Ibrox.
The quality of Michael Beale’s contacts was once again highlighted by the Rangers coach’s Instagram post on Thursday morning.
In it, a photo taken nine years ago while Beale was employed as a youth coach at Chelsea, were a number of past-and-present Blues players, including Dominic Solanke and Tammy Abraham.
But while those two are most likely off-limits for Rangers, could Beale’s connections (it was after all he and not Steven Gerrard who spent the most time coaching the likes of Ryan Kent, Ovie Ejaria and Andy Firth at Liverpool) lead some of the others to Ibrox this summer?
Here are three we could plausibly see in Rangers colours next season…
Jake Clarke-Salter (Chelsea)
Joe Worrall and Gareth McAuley are almost certain to leave Rangers this summer, creating a couple of vacancies at centre-half – one of which Clarke-Salter could fill. The England Under-21 international has spent this season on loan to Vitesse Arnhem and it remains to be seen whether or not he’ll be introduced to Chelsea’s first team next term.
Isaac Christie-Davies (Liverpool)
It could be argued that Rangers have lacked a number 10 this season and Christie-Davies – who can also play out wide – could be the man to fill that role next term. The Wales Under-21 international swapped Chelsea for Liverpool last summer but has yet to make his breakthrough at Anfield and is perhaps overdue a taste of league football.
Jeremie Boga (Chelsea)
If it is indeed true that Rangers have pulled out of a proposed move for the Motherwell winger, Jake Hastie, this summer, then an alternative could well be on Gerrard’s agenda. Boga has played 17 times for Sassuolo in Italy’s Serie A this season, but less than half of those appearances arrived as a starter. His future looks uncertain at the minute.
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