Graeme Souness claims former Chelsea and Everton manager Frank Lampard “wanted” to succeed Michael Beale in the Rangers hot seat.
Souness was involved in the recruitment process to find a replacement for Beale and he says that the Gers’ board ultimately decided on hiring Philippe Clement despite his preference being Lampard:
“There was the two outstanding candidates; Frank [Lampard] and Philippe [Clement] The final say wasn’t with me. For me, Frank had the edge because of this; Frank, I think, has still got a great deal to offer.”
“Taking the Chelsea job when he did was always going to be very, very difficult. The Everton job is a basket case. And have they improved since Frank left? Not a bit.”
“So, I wouldn’t be too critical of Frank. The thing that encouraged me about Frank is that he wanted to do it. He doesn’t need the money. He wants to be a successful manager. And he fancied the Rangers job.”
There is no comparison when you compare the two managers’ win %
While Souness has made excuses for why Lampard failed in his last two jobs, you don’t have to look very far to see that the Gers made the right choice by hiring Clement.
In addition to winning three Belgian Pro League titles in a row with two different teams, Clement’s win ratio as a manager is 54.7%. Lampard, in contrast, has a 42.3 win % during his two spells at Chelsea and his stints in charge of Derby County and Everton.
Clement has had a flying start as Rangers’ boss
Considering the poor performances directly preceding the Belgian’s arrival at Ibrox, many supporters were worried about how the new head coach would start his time in charge.
However, the players have responded incredibly well to Clement, winning 4-0 against Hibs in his first match in the dugout. Fans will be hoping for more results like that in the days and weeks to come.