Rangers appoint former Club Brugge boss Philippe Clement as new manager

Rangers have confirmed the appointment of Philippe Clement as their new manager.

The 49-year-old arrives at Ibrox following the departure of Michael Beale at the start of the month.

He inherits a Rangers side who are currently joint-second in the cinch Premiership, seven points behind league leaders and defending champions Celtic.

Welcome to #RangersFC, @philippe_clemnt #RangersFC is today delighted to confirm the appointment of Philippe Clement as the club’s new men’s first-team manager.

https://t.co/wvKAcWhIFu pic.twitter.com/dGqlDjjnNn

— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) October 15, 2023

Clement told the Rangers website: “I am honoured to have been appointed as the new manager of Rangers and I’d like to thank the board for giving me this opportunity.

“I am hugely excited by this chance to achieve success at one of Europe’s most iconic clubs across four competitions in what remains of this season and beyond.

“I am looking forward to meeting with the players in the coming days and to meeting our supporters at next Saturday’s home match with Hibernian, as we set out together to create a successful, winning Rangers.”

Rangers chairman John Bennett added: “I would like to offer my warm congratulations to Philippe as he becomes our 19th manager.

“His appointment comes at the end of a carefully planned and comprehensive recruitment process.

“A team led by our CEO James Bisgrove, members of the board, and former Rangers player and manager Graeme Souness, has spent the last 10 days interviewing several high calibre candidates, with those individuals undergoing a rigorous interview and vetting process. We thank all candidates for their interest in the position.

“Philippe proved to be the outstanding candidate across all the key criteria, reinforced by his track record of winning titles and I wish him every success as he leads us forward.”

After playing at Genk and Club Brugge, Clement won the Belgian Pro League as a manager with both teams and gained Champions League experience with Brugge.

Capped 38 times by his country, he began his managerial career with Brugge as a caretaker before moving to former club Genk, where he won the Belgian Pro League and achieved the same feat twice following his return to Brugge.

Clement then took over at Ligue 1 side Monaco in January 2022. They finished third in his first season in charge but he departed the club in June this year after just under a year-and-a-half in charge.