Latest news with #GregoryVignal
BBC News
a day ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Chase for Igamane heats up
Rangers forward Hamza Igamane, 22, is being tracked by French quartet Lens, Lille, Rennes and Strasbourg, along with clubs in England. (Foot Mercato, external - in French)Brentford, Everton and West Ham are keen on Rangers forward Hamza Igamane. (Football Insider), externalBoss of Latvian side RFS Gregory Vignal dreams of returning to Rangers as manager one day and thinks his current side would finish in the top three of the Scottish Premiership. (Daily Record), externalAnd Vignal says former Chelsea and Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez was interested in the Rangers vacancy before Russell Martin was appointed head coach at Ibrox. (Glasgow Times), externalRead the rest of Thursday's Scottish gossip.
Glasgow Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- Glasgow Times
Premier League trio 'very interested' in Hamza Igamane
The Moroccan joined Rangers last summer from AS FAR Rabat in his homeland. Igamane caught the eye in his first year in Scotland, scoring 16 goals and providing three assists across 46 appearances in all competitions. Read more: Now, amidst the summer transfer window, Igamane is attracting attention. Indeed, English Premier League trio Everton, Brentford and West Ham United are 'very interested' in bringing the 22-year-old south of the border, according to who also say that Rangers have set a price tag of €15 million (£12.7 million) for any potential suitors who wish to prize him away. French Ligue 1 quartet Lens, Lille, Strasbourg and Rennes are also said to be 'on the lookout' to sign Igamane, too. The player is contracted at Rangers until 2029 after penning a five-year deal last summer. In other news, Gregory Vignal, an ex-Rangers player, claims Rafa Benitez was interested in the Ibrox job this summer. He said [RecordSport]: "I met Rafa in Liverpool, and we spoke about the Rangers job before Russell got it. "He's not working at a club right now, he's with UEFA. "But if Rangers would have considered him? "Of course, he would have been interested."
Daily Record
2 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
I'm a Rangers title winner coaching in Latvia and my team would be top three in Scottish Premiership
Gregory Vignal admits Rangers would be one of his dream jobs but he's happy cutting his teeth with RFS for now He's the Rangers title-winning hero who is now earning his stripes as a coach at Latvia's top club. And he admits that in the future, his dream job would be as Ibrox gaffer. But for now, Gregory Vignal is happy learning his trade at Riga outfit RFS. And the former Gers and Liverpool star has claimed that if his new team were in the Scottish Premiership - they'd finish in the top THREE. Vignal is now a fully qualified coach with a UEFA Pro Licence under his belt and he's fluent in three different languages. He still calls Scotland his home after falling in love with Rangers during a loan spell in Glasgow under Alex McLeish 20 years ago. Vignal was part of their legendary Helicopter Sunday title-winning side and also lifted a League Cup at Hampden. He's now a budding coach and had already been a manager in his own right after a short spell at French third division club Versailles. The 43-year-old is keen to broaden his horizons at the start of his coaching journey and has now taken up a short-term post in Viktors Morozs' backroom team at RFS. They're the Latvian league champions who have competed in the Europa League for the past two seasons. RFS have beaten Ajax and drawn with the likes of Anderlecht - and Vignal is impressed by their set-up. So much so, he's convinced that if they were in the SPFL, they'd be up there challenging the Old Firm. Vignal told Record Sport: 'Honestly, RFS would finish in the top three of the Scottish Premiership. I'm telling you, of course they would. 'People there might be surprised but it's true. We are good enough to be in the top three in Scotland. 'Even in my last job at Versailles, it was bigger than a lot of jobs in Scotland - and that was the French third tier. 'We had a £6million budget and for games against Red Star FC in Paris, we had a crowd of around 12,000 people at the game. 'So the job I had there, if you compare with some clubs in Scotland, it was bigger. 'Here at RFS, we have quality players. 'In the Europa League in recent years, they've done really well against good teams. "The standard is good and that's why I wanted to come here, to see it with my own eyes. 'When you get an opportunity like this you have to take it.' Vignal is determined to become a top coach and, thanks to his time at Ibrox and Anfield, has some stellar contacts in the game like McLeish, Rafa Benitez, Xabi Alonso and Steven Gerrard. During a recent trip back to Liverpool, he spoke with Benitez and Gerrard - who was recently linked with a return as Rangers manager before Russell Martin was appointed. Vignal believes the prestigious post would also have interested the Champions League-winning Spaniard. And for him, it's something he'd love to experience himself in the future. He said: 'Of course, I want to be a number one coach but you have to wait and work for the right opportunity. 'If you're lazy, you can't reach your target. 'My dream job? First, it would be to manage a big team in France. But then, of course, if I could manage a club like Rangers it would be amazing. 'Everyone knows I love that football club. Liverpool would also be a dream - but I'm not the only coach who wants these jobs! 'I'm dreaming big but I think you have to. If you don't, you stand still. I know what I have to do but you need a chance. 'Every top coach has to start somewhere. Gerard Houllier always told me that. He believed in me. 'I speak to Rafa, Alex and also Gordon Strachan for good advice. I've even had good conversations with Kenny Dalglish and Graeme Souness recently. 'I met Rafa in Liverpool and we spoke about the Rangers job before Russell got it. 'He's not working at a club right now, he's with UEFA. 'But if Rangers would have considered him? Of course he would have been interested. 'I also spoke to Steven and joked with him. I asked if he'd got his apartment in Glasgow ready! 'All of those types of guys have been in the game a long time so I have to listen to them and be really humble. 'I trust myself and my ability. Hopefully my day will come.' Vignal is enjoying working with players from different countries at RFS. He hopes he's proved his commitment to becoming a top coach by stepping out of his comfort zone and going to Latvia. Vignal, who is attracting interest from English clubs, said: 'I've been really surprised by how good the club is, in terms of its organisation and structure. 'People think you're only properly working in football if you're at a club in the top five leagues. 'That's totally wrong. Even in a small country like Latvia, some of these clubs now are so well run. 'Riga is a beautiful city and I'm really enjoying it. 'And since I arrived here, my phone has started ringing more. It's as if work leads to more work, if you understand. 'It feels like I'm getting my coaching career on track now. 'I hope people see that commitment is a big part of my character. 'Even if it's not an easy way, I'm not afraid to take it. 'I'm willing to make sacrifices to get to where I want to go. 'It is a multi-cultural dressing-room with players from lots of different countries like Brazil, Ivory Coast and Serbia. 'I hope that's another reason why I got the job because I speak three languages myself, French, English and Spanish. 'In terms of my profile, that definitely adds to it. That kind of thing can only be good for me.'
Daily Record
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Lyall Cameron can give Rangers foreign legion a dose of tartan DNA as Ibrox import stresses key transfer strategy
Gregory Vignal was an import from abroad into a Rangers team that had a distinctly Scottish core and it worked Gregory Vignal was among the swathe of overseas imports who made up Alex McLeish's Ibrox league of nations. As well as the Frenchman's Tricolore, the flags of Australia, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, England, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Tunisian and Trinidad and Tobago were thrown together in a mix-match tapestry. Piecing together that disparate band of nationalities and cultures would have been difficult enough even without the pressure of winning silverware at Rangers. But Vignal remembers how the tartan thread running through Big Eck's dressing room helped stitch Gers' foreign legion in a title-winning force back in 2005. With the likes of Barry Ferguson, Alex Rae and Alan Hutton setting standards, the homegrown stars ensured those born elsewhere quickly learned what was required to win in Glasgow - culminating in the Helicopter Sunday triumph that the club celebrated 25 years ago this week. And that's why the former Ibrox ace is so pleased to see his old side move again to add a dollop of local flavour to the exotic mix currently making up the Light Blues first-team. Vignal was on the coaching staff at Dundee when Govan-bound Lyall Cameron was first showing signs of promise at Dens Park. And the retired defender reckons making domestic signings like the pre-contract agreement that is set to take the 22-year-old to Ibrox this summer will be vital if Gers are to again reach the heights his side once did. He told Record Sport: 'It's good move for Lyall, I think, and at the right time. He's a good Scottish prospect. I think it's always good to see this type of player going to Rangers. 'It's something the club needs more of, homegrown talent. I already spoke with a few people from Rangers and I told them, 'that's the way you should do it'. 'I don't know exactly the vision they've got right now, but it looks like they might be going for the best Scottish young players who can play for a big club and then maybe move after later on to the Premier League or Championship. 'Look, it's always important to have what I call Scottish DNA. During my time, I had Barry Ferguson, Alex Rae, Alan Hutton starting every game. 'It's always important because they know the club, they know the history. 'So when you come and you sign for this football club, it's always important to have the right message and if you know the environment, it's even better. 'It doesn't guarantee you success but I think it's always important to have the local guy, the one who loves the club and who understands the Rangers DNA.' Cameron will be joining a team that finished eight places and 34 points ahead of Dundee - and yet the Ibrox faithful will feel every bit as dissatisfied with the past 12 months as the Dee support whose side only escaped a relegation play-off by the skin of their teeth. The Scotland Under-21 ace certainly showed he could handle the pressure at the bottom by firing four goals in the Dark Blues' final three games to nudge the Taysiders to safety. And Vignal is confident he will handle the strain at the top just as well. He said: 'I think he will, if he's got the right people behind the scenes because it's not only people from the football club, but people from the family supporting you. 'But I mean, playing for this football club is just simple — you have to win trophies, you have to win the title, end of. 'So, you must be a winner week in and week out. If you can't cope with the pressure and the demand from the fans, don't come. 'That why when I joined Rangers, it was the first thing Alex McLeish said to me. 'I just told him I want to win every game, even every training session. Once you say that, afterwards you can't complain about the fans because they're supporting the team, they pay money, they're travelling. 'When you have 50,000 fans making the effort to come to Ibrox, of course they want at least to see they want something back from the players, from the club. 'It's not easy because it's massive pressure. 'But I think Lyall will be capable of coping with this pressure. I think if he's listening, if he understands the DNA and he's got the right attitude on and off the pitch, he will perform.' It was Philippe Clement who signed off on Gers' move for Cameron but with the Belgian gone, the Ibrox faithful as well as the new signing are waiting with interest to see who takes over next. Will it be a return to the former methods previously employed by Steven Gerrard or a new approach under the likes of Davide Ancelotti or Russell Martin? Whatever direction Rangers move in, Vignal has backed his former pupil to adapt. 'I know Lyall well,' said the former Dens youth coach, now 43. 'I joined Dundee in the summer of 2021 and was there until June 2023. 'I was working with a squad of development players with Stephen Wright and Scott Robertson and Lyall was part of this process. 'The idea was to produce a young boy towards the first team in Dundee and, of course, afterwards the club can hopefully make some money. 'Lyall always had a very good attitude because he always worked hard and never complained. 'And now to see him playing at this first-tea, level, he gets better and better. 'He's a clever boy. He's earned a lot of respect. 'I think moving to Rangers will be a great experience for him because he will have to cope with a new environment, new targets also because of the demand. 'I always saw his potential. He was good with the ball, technically, good in a one-on-one situation, quick at reading the game really well, capable of playing forward, to break the lines, to be involved in the final third. 'He has different kinds of aspects in terms of a midfielder. He can play as a No6, a No8 or even a forward. It just depends on the shape of the team. 'That's an advantage, of course. It wasn't an easy process but we pushed him a lot. I expect him to go up another level at Ibrox." Tune in to Hotline Live every Sunday to Thursday and have your say on the biggest issues in Scottish football and listen to Record Sport's newest podcast, Game On, every Friday for your sporting fix, all in bitesize chunks.
