Sources: Steven Gerrard has ‘principally agreed’ to return to Rangers | OneFootball

Ibrox Noise understands that Steven Gerrard has become the prime target as Russell Martin’s replacement at Rangers. Steven Gerrard returns to Rangers is on. As Sky Sports News did indeed correctly inform the world, talks have indeed been scheduled for this week. We understand that there has already been a meeting. Whether it’s by phone or in person, we are less clear, but talks tentatively have already taken place.

Gerrard’s position appears to be as complicated as Sky suggested. It is not quite as simple as a yes or no answer. The former Liverpool and 55 legend wants to join Rangers principally, but there are a few I’s to dot and T’s to cross.

Specifically, the problems are twofold. One is that his wife does not want to leave Bahrain. The two and their family currently live there and are quite happy there despite his job time at Al Ettifaq coming to an end. They have remained in the Gulf and have been happy there.

This isn’t, however, a complete deal-breaker because Gerrard’s wife also did not move to Scotland the last time around. The difference, of course, would be the commute. Gerrard only had to travel back to England to be with his family again. This way around, he would have to get long-haul flights over the sea to Bahrain, around about a ten-hour flight. It is not an easy commute, to say the least, and is a problem, but it might not be insurmountable.

The second one is probably the biggest problem: aligning goals. Gerrard wants to know that this board is going to properly support him in the way that the Park regime sadly did not in the end. Of course, they did, under he and King, support Gerrard from 2018 through to 2020. But in 2021, after 55, the money dried up completely.

After defeat to Malmö, Gerrard did indeed call the board out, saying that he just didn’t have the money and couldn’t compete with the players he had. Consequently, Gerrard needs to know that there will be money available and significant funds at that. He has to know that this board wants to win the title.

Gerrard is a winner. He wants to win. If there is one thing we can say at Ibrox now about Steven Gerrard, he is a must-win kind of person and gets the pressure at Rangers. He needs to know that the board is aligned with this, because having appointed Russell Martin in the first place, that wasn’t a must-win kind of manager.

The board have admitted—well, not the board, the owners have admitted—that they got this wrong. Fair enough, they’ve conceded defeat on that and have admitted that they completely messed up with the appointment of Russell Martin. But Gerrard needs to know that that was a one-off.

He needs to know that this board is going to support him, that the owners’ goals are aligned with his. Consequently, it is closer than we think, but it is still a bit complicated. There is a decision to be made. Time will tell what that decision will be and if Steven Gerrard returns to Rangers.