The former Liverpool assistant certainly appears keen to take on the manager’s role at Rangers.
With Rangers’ chances of securing a second placed finish seemingly diminishing by the game, the pressure on the board has ramped up. As it stands, the club are still without a permanent manager with Graeme Murty in temporary charge and Sunday’s somewhat spineless 2-1 loss at Dundee suggests that Rangers need a new man in place, and quick.
And Pako Ayestaran, the former Liverpool coach, has thrown his name into the hat, as reported by Sky Sports.
They reported recently that the highly-regarded Ayestaran was interested in taking over from the recently departed Mark Warburton and, during coverage of Barcelona vs Leganes on Sky Sports 3, broadcast at 7.30PM (19/02), the 54-year-old admitted that the prospect of taking the top job at Ibrox is an intriguing one.
“Well this is good to be connected with these level of clubs,” Ayestaran said. “Glasgow is a club with a great history behind and [it] would be great to join.”
The Spaniard was held in very high regard by Rafael Benitez during their successful three year spell at Anfield, the duo masterminding Liverpool’s infamous 2005 Champions League triumph.
Ayestaran’s solo career in management is rather less impressive however, with two forgettable spells in Mexico with Tecos and Santos Laguna flanking a short-lived stay with Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Furthermore, he posted a 25 per cent win ratio during 12 games in charge of Valencia, then the worst record in the club’s history. Though it must be pointed out that he was forced to work against a backdrop of fan unrest and bafflingly poor recruitment.
However, he would represent a huge risk, far from a ‘safe pair of hands’ a la Alex McLeish.
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