After just a few months, AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands fired Pascal Jansen, despite Rangers having apparently considered him before selecting Philippe Clement to replace Mick Beale.
Speaking on the other side of Christmas, an expert on the Eredivisie insisted that Pascal Jansen would have “failed” had he taken over at Ibrox, pointing out the team’s propensity to swing from fantastic to appalling. The 39-year-old was also accused of wasting “the best young talent in the whole Netherlands.”
And it seems that some higher-ups at the AFAS Stadium behind the scenes shared the same grievances that Michael Bell expressed on the Football Oranje show.
On Wednesday, Jansen was formally let go from his position, almost three months after he had acknowledged that the rumors that connected him to the Rangers had “flattered” him.
Rangers linked Pascal Jansen sacked by AZ Alkmaar
“I have been around the football world long enough that I know this can be part of it,” Jansen tells the AZ website. “It is, of course a shame and disappointing.
“Despite this disappointment, I am proud of my time at the club and the opportunities I have been given here. And above all, I would like to thank my players and staff for the pleasant and intensive cooperation. I wish the club and its people all the best in the future.”
Jansen, despite losing three of his last five Eredivisie games, leaves AZ in a respectable fourth place. They did drop out of the Europa Conference League in the group-stage, however, a major set-back for a side who reached the semi finals of that same competition in 2022/23.
AZ stutter as Rangers fly under Philippe Clement
“Ultimately, we have decided to break up,” AZ director of football Max Huiberts explains. “Despite the difficult and drastic decision, we are grateful to Pascal for what he has meant to the club over the past five years. We wish him every success in his further career.”
Rangers, meanwhile, are going strong under Clement, winning a trophy, securing the spot in the knockout stages of the Europa League, and breathing down Celtic’s necks domestically despite December’s 2-1 Old Firm derby defeat.
Another of the names tipped to take Beale’s place in the autumn, Frank Lampard, remains without a job. Nenad Bjelica, meanwhile, has endured a mixed start at Union Berlin in the Bundesliga.
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