Michel Preud’homme applied for the Rangers job but the former Belgian goalkeeper will not be taking charge at Ibrox.
Of all the candidates linked with replacing Pedro Caixinha at Rangers, Michel Preud’homme could claim to have the most impressive CV.
One of the world’s best goalkeepers during his playing days, the Belgian boss has embarked on a notable career in the dugout too. Back in 2008, he guided Standard Liege to their first league title in 25 years before repeating the trick at Club Brugge in 2016, ending an 11-year barren run.
Did we mention the fact that Preud’homme, who took FC Twente to second in the Eredivisie, also has three Belgian Manager of the Year gongs and won the prestigious Rinus Michels Award in 2011, an annual prize given to the most impressive coach in the Dutch game in homage to the legendary founder of Total Football.
So when the Daily Record reported Preud’homme’s agent admitting that the 62-year-old was keen to take over at Ibrox, surely he at least deserved some consideration.
But after the Pedro Caixinha experiment blew up in Rangers’ face, it appears that chairman Dave King wanted to look closer to home for his new manager.
“We’ve set criteria. We didn’t want to go with a foreigner with no experience of British or Scottish football,” King said at the club’s Annual General Meeting, per the Daily Record.
“We ended up identifying targets, rather than just being reactive to those who have applied for the position (like Preud’homme).”
While Preud’homme certainly has a more impressive track record than Derek McInnes, the Aberdeen boss who still appears to be Rangers’ first-choice, it must be pointed out that most of his success has come in Belgium.
Caixinha too had impressed with his work abroad but a lack of knowledge of the Scottish game left him red faced. And you can see why King would want to minimise risks this time.
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