GERS TARGET MAN CITY MARK FOR FOOTIE CHIEF
They want him for new director of football role
RANGERS have targeted Manchester City academy chief Mark Allen for the club’s new director of football role.
The Welshman has emerged as the leading candidate as the Ibrox club look to fill the key off-field position. Gers’ swoop for Allen comes after Hearts yesterday kicked out two bids for Jamie Walker and told the Light Blues to stump up £1million for the midfielder. Jambos
chiefs rejected an initial offer of £300,000 for the 23-year-old before later turning down an improved bid in the region of £400,000 with Tynecastle insiders describing the offers as “derisory”.
Rangers are now weighing up whether to make further bids for Walker and Graham Dorrans after Norwich also rejected their latest offer for the Scotland man who only has a year left on his deal.
But as Pedro Caixinha continues his recruitment drive, Allen could be the final piece of their off-field structure.
Asked about the move for the Etihad man last night a club spokesperson said: “Rangers will not comment on speculation.”
But Record Sport understands he is the man Rangers want having been on the hunt for a director of football since Mark Warburton’s departure in February.
Former player Allen, 54, released by Swindon as a youngster in the early 1980s, has spent almost a decade at the Etihad and is City’s head of academy business and operations.
He took a football scholarship and business and accountancy degree at college in San Diego. And he worked for broadcaster HTV while playing semi-professionally for clubs including Cwmbran and Port Talbot.
Allen then spent 14 years at music network MTV, where he became managing director of the broadcasting division, and worked as managing director at London-based Deluxe Digital before joining English giants City.
Gers’ new director of football will work closely with boss Caixinha who has identified Walker as his latest signing target.
But Hearts boss Ian Cathro has warned the 23-year-old to return to pre-season with the right attitude if he is still at the club.
Walker netted 15 goals last season and was tipped for future Scotland stardom by Cathro but director of football Craig Levein admitted they would listen to offers after he turned down a contract extension.
Cathro, who has signed Scotland stopper Christophe Berra and striker Cole Stockton, said: “Jamie is one of my players.
“He has great talent, a lot of potential and is someone who can be influential. He needs to come to work and be ready to fight, progress, grow, push himself and improve himself.
“It’s also my responsibility to help him develop and we’ll do that together. We aren’t going to be obsessed in the business side of things.
“We want to be obsessed with performance. These things will always be going on in the background in one way or another. The most important thing is the attitude of everyone to concentrate on the performance of the team.”
Meanwhile, Rangers have agreed an improved shirt sponsorship deal with online casino company 32Red for the next two seasons.
They’ve been the main shirt sponsor since 2014 and Ibrox managing director Stewart Robertson said: “They have been with Rangers every step of the way as we progressed from the lower leagues back to the top flight and we thank them for their support.”