Rangers Coach Danny Röhl on Bayer Leverkusen's Shortlist
Rangers boss Danny Röhl has landed on Bayer Leverkusen’s shortlist for their next head coach, but the German is not at the front of the queue.
Reports in Germany indicate that Leverkusen view Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner as their leading candidate, with Girona’s highly rated Michel also in the frame. Röhl’s name features among the alternatives, a measure of how quickly his stock has risen, but he is not currently the favourite for the job.
What is clear is that his position at Rangers is secure. Sky Germany report that Röhl is under no threat of the sack at Ibrox and, crucially, is unlikely to be tempted by Wolfsburg, whose relegation from the Bundesliga has dramatically reduced their appeal. Union Berlin and Leverkusen, by contrast, are seen as more enticing possibilities if he does decide to move, with interest in the 37-year-old now stretching across Europe.
While Röhl weighs up a future that could soon involve the Champions League, another in-demand coach has made his decision.
Kieran McKenna, the architect of Ipswich Town’s surge back to the Premier League, is said to be fully committed to staying at Portman Road. Football Insider report that he plans to turn down any summer advances from Celtic, Crystal Palace or Fulham, shutting the door on three clubs who had earmarked him as a prime candidate for their dugouts.
Celtic's Activity
Celtic, though, are busy on several fronts.
The Scottish champions are among the clubs to have made initial enquiries for Huddersfield Town winger Cameron Ashia. Rangers and Fulham have also checked in on the 21-year-old, while Burnley, Cardiff City, Hoffenheim, Ipswich Town, Sheffield United and Stuttgart are all monitoring the situation. Despite Huddersfield triggering an option to extend his contract by a further year, the Daily Mail report that Ashia could be available for as little as £500,000, a fee that has sparked a queue across England, Scotland and Germany.
Daizen Maeda’s future in Glasgow is also under scrutiny. The 28-year-old Celtic forward has emerged as a target for several Premier League clubs, according to Football Insider, with a summer move increasingly likely as interest gathers pace.
On the opposite flank, Celtic have already received a concrete bid. Lech Poznan have lodged a cut-price £2m offer for Luis Palma following the 26-year-old winger’s loan spell in Poland, The National report. The proposal underlines Poznan’s desire to keep Palma permanently after his impact in the Ekstraklasa.
There is movement, too, in the opposite direction. The Herald report that striker Shin Yamada is heading back to Celtic after his loan at Preussen Münster. Head coach Alois Schwartz is planning a major overhaul following Münster’s relegation to Germany’s third tier, leaving the 25-year-old forward surplus to requirements and returning to a squad at Parkhead that may look very different by the end of this window.
Managers on the radar in Germany, Premier League clubs circling Celtic’s forwards, and a 21-year-old winger available at a bargain price: the market is already shifting. The next move, for several of these clubs, could define their season before a ball is even kicked.
