Gio van Bronckhorst and the unfinished Rangers business he’s winked at as he keeps options open with one thing in mind
Van Bronckhorst has been reluctant to leap back into the saddle as he awaits the ideal offer to return to the game
Gio van Bronckhorst has purportedly said no to another prominent Eredivisie assignment as the Rangers hero remains loyal to his word – waiting for an offer that will sweep him away.
The Dutchman has been selective since departing the Ibrox hotseat in 2022, turning back several offers to get back in the saddle before taking over Besiktas six months later.
But his Turkish enjoyment soon degenerated into dismay; he was fired in November after Europa League humiliation at the hands of Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Speaking back in February, he ruled out the possibility of a return to Feyenoord, a position which Robin van Persie has since departed Heerenveen to enter into.
Van Bronckhorst was then linked with replacing the former Arsenal and Manchester United striker, but he has said no to that opportunity as well, according to Voetbal International in the Netherlands.
The 50-year-old has made it clear he is biding his time for the ideal offer, and a return to Rangers in some capacity, whether that be as manager or in another position, would likely offer that.
His former colleague Barry Ferguson is in interim charge and steered them to a victory over Fenerbahce – a task he has the opportunity to complete against Jose Mourinho’s team this week.
Ferguson (6/1) is presently third in the wagering behind Russell Martin (6/4) and Steven Gerrard (11/4) to win the position permanently, while Van Bronckhorst is a comparative outlier at 33/1 with most oddsmakers.
Whether the prospective new American proprietors would go back there, or whether supporters would be receptive to it after how how meekly things ended, are both live variables which cast evident doubts.
But as far as Van Bronckhorst himself is concerned, he hinted at some unresolved business after his dismissal left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Speaking during TNT Sports’ coverage of Rangers’ victory over Fenerbahce, he said: “I’m frustrated because I had to resign because I am a fighter, I was a combatant as a player and also as a coach.
I believe I have done everything in my power to govern the institution. If you have to say farewell to a club, and a club I mean players, the supporters to depart, that is not a pleasant sensation to abandon something you adore.
But you have to live with it, you have to cope with it and you have to move on because life continues on.
“I am now in a very positive place where I enjoy life, I enjoy my family and appreciate viewing really excellent sports. We all move on.”
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