Newcastle may be after experience over Gerrard
BARELY a week went by during Brendan Rodgers’ reign at Celtic without the Parkhead manager being linked with a prospective move to a club in England or Europe.
The minute a Premier League outfit suffered a dip in form and the man in charge came under fire from supporters, Rodgers found himself being tipped to take over by bookmakers due to remarkable job he was doing in the East End of Glasgow.
His reaction was always exactly the same; I’m sure their coach will turn things around, I have a big job to do here, I’m completely focused on delivering silverware for these great supporters.
For the first couple of years anyway. When Claude Puel came under pressure at Leicester City in early 2019 and there was persistent speculation about him taking over, there was an oh-so subtle change in his responses.
“It is a fantastic club,” the former Swansea City and Liverpool manager said. “As we have seen over the last few years, they have been on an incredible journey.”
Rodgers’ unhappiness over the level of backing he was receiving from the Celtic board and his frustration at being unable to build on the considerable progress which had been made during his tenure due to the financial constraints he was working under, was public knowledge by that stage too.
So it was no great surprise, despite the outcry from an incredulous and disbelieving fan base, when he completed his move to the King Power Stadium. The warning signs had been there.
Steven Gerrard was quick to play down suggestions that he could be targeted by the new owners of Newcastle United when he spoke to the media on Friday ahead of Rangers’ cinch Premiership game against Hearts.
He stressed the respect which he held Steve Bruce in and lauded his friend for reaching the landmark of 1,000 games in the dugout.
However, he did admit that he was intrigued to see what is going to happen at St James’ Park in the wake of the £305 million takeover by a Saudi Arabian-backed consortium. “It’s interesting,” he said. “If anyone deserves a break, it’s the Geordie fans, so I’m sure the excitement levels are very high.”
Gerrard has not, unlike his former Anfield manager Rodgers, grown disillusioned with life in Scotland. Nor is he hankering after a new challenge just now. His remarks were about as far from a “come and get me” plea as is possible to get. Despite how they have been spun by some.
Still, his positive take on developments in the North East will doubtless have been well received by the Toon Army. There will be widespread approval if, as is inevitable, Bruce does depart and the former England captain is then targeted.
Bringing in a national hero who is young and ambitious to take his managerial career to the next level would make sense on many fronts for an outfit that has become the richest in the Premier League overnight. They are also setting their sights far, far higher.
Having exorbitant sums to spend on players would be attractive to Gerrard too. He was at pains to point out how difficult it is becoming for him to keep Rangers competitive in the Europa League in the wake of their 1-0 defeat to Sparta Prague in the Czech Republic this month.
“In the last two windows, we haven’t spent a penny,” he said. “To compete with the teams that we’re playing against, we have to spend big money. It’s as simple as that.”
Gerrard has been touted as a possible successor for Jurgen Klopp at his beloved Liverpool since he first arrived in Glasgow three-and-a-half years ago. Would agreeing to move to Newcastle jeopardise that prospect? It would certainly be a consideration if an approach was forthcoming.
However, would a man who has only been able to strengthen his squad with free transfers this summer after delivering the Premiership for the first time in 10 years really turn down the opportunity to sign the very best footballers on the planet? It would be awfully, awfully tempting.
Retaining the Premiership in the 2021/22 campaign will secure automatic qualification for the Champions League group stages for Rangers. That will free up considerable funds for Gerrard. But he will still not be operating in the same market as Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City. At Newcastle he would be.
Will he, though, be the man the new Middle East owners turn to? They have ambitions to win the Premier League and the Champions League. Gerrard has not managed in either. He would, given how well he has done both domestically and on the continent since hanging up his boots and stepping into the dugout, doubtless do well in both competitions.
But it would be understandable if the Newcastle hierarchy’s preference is to bring in somebody who has a proven track record at the top of the world game given the amount of money they are preparing to invest in the years to come.
Bruce’s exit edged nearer with the 3-2 home defeat to Spurs at home yesterday – but it remains to be seen if Gerrard is their preferred candidate to succeed him and if the Liverpool legend would be willing to take on the challenge in the event they do.
In modern football, though money talks.
TOMORROW Nick Rodger