Rangers are weighing up RB Salzburg’s bombshell bid to take boss Danny Rohl off their hands. The Austrian giants have targeted the Ibrox gaffer after sacking Daniel Beichler. Sources in Germany claim they have already made contact with Gers chiefs as they push hard to strike a shock deal for the 37-year-old.
Cavenagh Faces Tough Decision
But it leaves chairman Andrew Cavenagh with a huge decision to make just weeks after throwing his support behind the under-fire boss following the dramatic collapse of the club’s title bid. Cavenagh, along with chief exec Jim Gillespie, is currently in the US, visiting the North America Rangers Supporters Association convention in Nashville. Both the chairman and Rohl’s representatives were remaining tight lipped while initial discussions took place.
The German gaffer insisted last month he was not in a rush to leave Glasgow after being linked with the Wolfsburg job. But it remains unclear whether the prospect of a move to RB Salzburg would be more appealing having started his career with their sister club, RB Leipzig.
Quick Resolution Wanted
Record Sport understands that one way or another, Cavenagh wants the matter concluded as quickly as possible so not to disrupt Gers’ preparations for the new season. Rohl is due to welcome his players back to Auchenhowie for the start of their pre-season preparations a week on Monday. He was then supposed to fly his squad out to Austria for an eight-day training camp on July 10. But it now remains to be seen if Gers will be travelling to their summer base without their boss.
Rohl was initially greeted with warmth by the Ibrox support after being appointed as Russell Martin’s successor last October. Inheriting a team that had been written off for dead after a disastrous start to the season, the former Sheffield Wednesday gaffer succeeded in breathing new life in Rangers’ campaign. Rohl - Hansi Flick’s former assistant at Bayern Munich and the German national team - even looked to have put Gers on course for a remarkable title win with five games to go.
But a dramatic collapse saw the Light Blues lose four games on the spin, leaving the door open for Celtic - who had also dumped Rohl’s team out of both cup competitions - to snatch a fifth successive crown. That shock slump has turned large swathes of the Ibrox support against him and many are now viewing Salzburg’s approach as a face-saving opportunity to get rid of Rohl without having to sack him.
Cavenagh's Stance
Now it’s down to Cavenagh and Gillespie to decide if they want to fight to keep hold of the former Sheffield Wednesday coach or allow him to return to the continent to be nearer to his family in Germany. But Cavenagh has already made his feelings clear, saying last month: "As we look to next year, Danny is our coach. We believe that Danny gives us the best chance to win the league next year. There are two key elements that he needs to succeed. That would be a revamped squad, which is probably the most important, and a pre-season."
He added: "We look at our squad and say we have a bunch of good players. We have a good squad, we've proven that in fits and spurts throughout the season. But we don't yet have a good team. And that is our focus this summer - building a winning team. With an improved squad, we think Danny will bring titles. We recognise that supporting any club - but certainly Rangers - is an emotional roller coaster. A month ago, the fans were singing Danny's name and a month later they're frustrated with Danny. We understand that view on a personal level. We go through that same roller coaster. But our job, as those who run this club, is to not let it go on that roller-coaster ride. We need to be even-keeled and ensure that, step by step and it's not always a straight line - we move this club towards success. Danny is part of that."
Rohl is already well known to the Red Bull football group, having served as Ralph Hasenhuttl's number two at RB Leipzig, later following him to the English Premier League with Southampton. Salzburg are now looking for a replacement for having trudged home third in the Austrian Bundesliga behind LASK and Sturm Graz.
