An update has emerged on Glasgow Rangers and their plans to potentially replace Michael Beale as the club's head coach this month.
What's the latest Rangers manager news?
According to FootballTransfers, ex-Chelsea boss Graham Potter is one of four names on the shortlist to come in for the current Light Blues manager if they decide to part ways with the Englishman.
The report claims that Steven Gerrard's former assistant is on the 'brink' of losing his job after 'unacceptable' defeats to Celtic and PSV in the Scottish Premiership and Champions League respectively.
It states that the clash with St. Johnstone after the international break is a must-win match for Beale, whose recruitment over the summer has left the board less than impressed.
What is Graham Potter's style of management?
Rangers chairman John Bennett could hire a big upgrade on the current Light Blues head coach by completing a deal for the out-of-contract Potter.
The 48-year-old tactician has been out of work since his exit from Premier League giants Chelsea in April and could, therefore, be an ideal target for the Gers as they would not have to negotiate with another team to secure his services.
Potter has the potential to come in as an upgrade on Beale in the dugout as he has a proven track record of being able to improve teams over time, whereas his compatriot remains unproven in that regard.
The 3-4-2-1 manager started his managerial career with Swedish side Ostersunds, who were in the third tier at the time. He won the league title in his first season before finishing tenth, fifth, and then second – winning promotion – in three second-division campaigns, as per Transfermarkt.
Potter, who was hailed as a "genius" by journalist Sam Morton, then led the team to an eighth and then a fifth-placed finish in the top-flight of Swedish football before Championship side Swansea snapped him up for the 2018/19 season.
He finished tenth with the Swans and earned a Premier League move to Brighton & Hove Albion, where the English tactician truly excelled, finishing 15th, 16th, and then ninth before leaving them fourth in the table after six matches at the start of the 2022/23 campaign.
Beale, by comparison, is yet to finish a full season in charge of a club and has not won a single trophy in his career to date, after failing to secure silverware with the Gers last term.
His style of play, or lack thereof, has also been called into question. Indeed, RangersReview writer Derek Clark recently claimed that there is no clear identity from Rangers on the pitch.
The Gers appeared to sit back and try to go with a long-ball approach to Cyriel Dessers in the first half of their defeat to Celtic last weekend but have averaged 63.2% possession in the Premiership this season without any clear patterns of play on display across all four matches.
Potter, on the other hand, is wedded to a possession-based style of play that has an emphasis on the wing-backs in his 3-4-2-1 system stepping forward to create angles for the midfielders in build-up situations.
This allows his teams to play simple and effective football in the final third as there is usually a player in a good position to receive the ball and move it on.
Therefore, Potter could be an upgrade on Beale due to his proven ability to improve clubs whilst also having a clear identity on the pitch that fans can get behind, which is why Bennett must swoop for him.
