The German manager has been dismissed by RB Leipzig, but might yet garner attention from Rangers’ prospective owners.
RB Leipzig has fired Marco Rose, igniting speculation about the next Rangers manager.
Barry Ferguson has impressed since taking over as temporary manager at Ibrox, leading a comeback against Dundee on Saturday in a Dens Park thriller.
His latest victory has further increased his prospects of earning the job permanently, after defeating Jose Mourinho and Fenerbahce to reach the Europa League quarterfinals and defeating Celtic on their own field.
However, American entrepreneur Andrew Cavenagh, who is pushing the Rangers purchase, and 49ers Enterprises will have a huge decision to make over the job in the summer once the consortium is in charge at Ibrox.
And many publications have put his name up as one of the incoming executives to consider, with 49ers Enterprises having a good relationship with Red Bull, which has a substantial interest in Leeds.
Rose is now out of work after defeat to Borussia Monchengladbach leaves Leipzig on the back foot in the race for the Champions League spots – now sitting three points behind Mainz who have played a game less.
After the decision, some Light Blues’ diehards immediately started speculating over an imminent arrival in Glasgow. One posted to X: “Sacked Marco Rose to be next Rangers manager? I could see it.”
Another added: “You can see why the 49ers might favour him.” A punter chimed on the 33/1 shot with the bookmakers: “Watch the odds tumble now.”
Rose is no stranger to the Glasgow cauldron, having led Borussia Dortmund to Ibrox in the Europa League in 2022.
Gio van Bronckhorst’s team defeated them in two legs on their way to the final in Seville, but Rose left with a great sense of the environment.
He said after the 2-2 draw that sent his side crashing out of the competition: “Atmosphere makes football. We had to adopt the mood because it helps the opponent – and we didn’t absorb it. But it can be really fun to play here.”
And, having faced Celtic on few occasions in recent years, he understands exactly what he would have to do to dethrone them.
He led Salzburg to victory at home and away in 2018 before moving to Dortmund, where he will meet Ange Postecoglou’s Hoops in 2022 as Leipzig manager.
Speaking about the difficult environment his squad would confront at Celtic Park, he said: “We have a magnificent stadium here, excellent people, and an amazing atmosphere, but we also get the idea that the fans are knowledgeable and know when they have a strong opponent and when to drive their team on.
“I have played against Rangers when I was at Dortmund and won against Celtic with Salzburg. That was against Brendan Rodgers so you can’t really take anything away from that.
“It’s a new game, a new strategy and new players. But we have to realise it’s an excellent stadium with amazing fans and a great atmosphere.”
This season, he was defeated in the Champions League by Brendan Rodgers’ side, and he now knows what he is up against if he faces the Irishman in the Scottish Premiership.
He said after the 3-1 defeat: “So knew about the quality of Celtic, [their] possession game is top, really good and fast players. We saw today all what we expected. The first five minutes showed everything [in terms of] what they tried to play.”
