No. 2 Van Gastel reveals why he said ‘No’ to Gio
Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s former assistant manager has revealed why he won’t be joining him at Rangers.
Jean-Paul van Gastel insists he has no intention of coming to Glasgow because he’s enjoying life too much in China.
New Ibrox boss, Van Bronckhorst, initially wanted to bring the man who was his former No.2 at Feyenoord with him.
The pair also worked together in the Far East and managed Guangzhou City, the club who operate some 6,000 miles from Scotland.
When Van Bronckhorst returned to the Netherlands for family reasons, Van Gastel took charge of the club, and he admits he has no interest in leaving them after flourishing in China.
He said: “It’s really special what we are doing here. We finished in the top eight of the Super League, which is only the third time the club has done that.
“I have a fantastic working climate here, and I have spent a lot of time delving into the Chinese culture.
“I immersed myself in how to approach people, how to deal with them and I have projected that on to the football.
“This whole adventure is a huge enrichment of my life. I have experienced great development as a person, and as a coach.
“What happened with Giovanni van Bronckhorst was that when we arrived in China, they closed their borders and Gio admitted he missed his family.
“He told me he was using a clause in his contract to quit.
“I then said to him: ‘If the club is happy with our approach, maybe there is a possibility that I can take over?’.
“Gio was fine with that, and that’s what happened.
“It’s a great life here. Covid doesn’t exist really and we live a normal life, unlike what is going on in the Netherlands right now.”