Former Wolves manager and Italy international Walter Zenga is the latest name to be linked with the vacant hotseat at Rangers following the sacking of Giovanni van Bronckhorst, via Serie B News.
Given his P45 after just 12 months in charge, Van Bronckhorst became the third shortest-ruling Rangers boss in the club’s entire history this week.
And while it would be unfair to lump him in with the likes of Pedro Caixinha and Paul le Guen (he did guide the Gers to the Europa League final and Scottish Cup success, after all), the fact remains that the Gers bosses are under serious pressure to get their next appointment right.
Especially if there is to be any hope of a title race in 2023; Celtic going into the World Cup break nine points clear at the top.
Could Rangers giants replace Van Bronckhorst with former Wolves coach Walter Zenga?
Barak Bakhar, who has reportedly been sounded out by Rangers, would arrive on the back of five league titles in six years in his native Israel (Sport5).
Peter Bosz, meanwhile, boasts a rather mixed track record. But you don’t take charge of Ajax, Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen and Lyon without having something about you. And Mick Beale, seemingly the early frontrunner, was Steven Gerrard’s assistant during Rangers 2020/21 ‘Invincibles’ campaign.
The ‘brains behind the operation’, depending on who you ask.
If Beale is the obvious choice, then Zenga, in contrast, would be an appointment right out of left-field. The 62-year-old, capped 58 times by Italy in the 1980s and 90s, has taken charge of no fewer than 19 different clubs since beginning his coaching career with a typically short-lived spell with New England Revolution on the other side of the Century.
He won league titles as a head coach in Romania and Serbia. But the most recent of those was all the way back in 2006. Furthermore, Zenga’s only experience in British football came during an underwhelming 17-game stint at Wolverhampton Wanderers six years ago.
Serie B News claims that Zenga is ready for a fresh start and a new adventure. He is currently out of work following a recent departure from Cagliari. The report names Rangers as one potential destination for the well-travelled, Inter Milan Hall of Fame inductee.
But forgive us for assuming that, if Zenga is indeed on Rangers’ list, he is some way adrift of the top.
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