Celtic reportedly considered bid for top Rangers asset in summer

Rangers manager Philippe Clement was on Celtic’s new manager shortlist this summer, despite still being in charge of AS Monaco.

That’s according to the Daily Record and Keith Jackson, who have made the claim after the Belgian was eventually appointed in charge at Ibrox.

According to the report, Philippe Clement was “a person of considerable interest” to the Celtic board following Ange Postecoglou’s move to Tottenham Hotspur in the summer.

That’s despite the fact Philippe Clement was still in charge of AS Monaco, by whom he was eventually sacked in June.

Ambitious Celtic links to Philippe Clement

Celtic would eventually turn to Brendan Rodgers but the links to now Rangers manager Philippe Clement have certainly turned a few heads.

The suggestion that the Belgian featured “high up on a very short list of preferred potential candidates” is majorly ambitious for a number of reasons.

Not least the fact the former KRC Genk and Club Brugge boss would’ve been raking in a fair wage packet in tax haven Monaco as part of his work with the Ligue 1 club.

The notion that Celtic could convince a manager from one of the top clubs playing in one of Europe’s top five leagues is also incredibly fanciful.

Bright start for Belgian

Rangers moved for Philippe Clement in October following the sacking of Michael Beale and he is so far unbeaten in his role as Ibrox manager.

In an impressive first month in charge, Philippe Clement delivered five domestic victories and a potentially crucial Europa League draw away to Sparta Prague.

But since the break the coach’s magic wand has lost some of its power with two big opportunities missed in the back-to-back draws against Aberdeen and Aris Limassol

With the 2-0 Scottish Premiership victory over St Mirren a return to form, the pressure is on the Celtic-linked Philippe Clement and his squad to deliver in the second half of the season.

Rangers fans might also be interested in what the manager has had to say about the club’s transfer business following the appointment of Nils Koppen.

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