Rangers have appointed PSV Eindhoven’s Nils Koppen as director of recruitment, subject to a work permit.
The 38-year-old held the position of PSV’s chief scout before joining Rangers, having worked with the Dutch in their academy and in the first team since 2018.
Koppen’s appointment marks the final touch of Rangers’ men’s football board following board adjustments.
John Bennett took over as president in April, James Bisgrove replaced Stewart Robertson as chief executive officer in July, Creag Robertson was promoted to director of football operations in October, while in June, Dr. Mark Waller returned to the role of chief medical and functional officer and Zeb Jacobs was appointed. Director of the Academy.
Koppen will officially take up his duties on January 2 – in collaboration with the football board of directors, which also includes coach Philippe Clement – as responsible for the club’s player exchange style and will lead the newly revamped scouting organization in the Rangers educational center.
Commenting on his appointment, Koppen said: “I am very happy to be joining such a prestigious club as Rangers in what is an important role in the club’s complex strategy.
“Both the president and CEO have made it clear over the past few years that our style of player trading desires to work better and more consistently.
“I look forward to working with the recruitment team the club already provides to us to achieve our goals in the coming years. “
The Gers have appointed Tom Taylor as the club’s new functional director and he will take up his duties on December 22 once he joins Brighton in the Premier League.
The Rangers posted a small operating profit for the second year in a row (this time £252,000), but overall posted a loss of more than £4m in their most recent annual accounts.
The exchange of players will be key in the coming months and years for the club, both on and off the pitch. While there are still marks around some of the recent summer signings, Clement, Koppen and the entire football board will be aware that for a long time to execute additions they will want to be effective.
The sale of Calvin Bassey to Ajax for £22. 7m (two years after his arrival for just £230,000 from Leicester), as well as the departure of academy graduate Nathan Patterson to Everton on a deal worth up to £16m last year have been recent highlights.
However, squandering Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos last summer after exhausting their contracts is a mistake the club will need to make going forward.
The task will be transparent for Koppen when he arrives at Ibrox in January (to ensure consistent good luck), perhaps the most productive one recently summed up by chairman John Bennett, who said: “Player trades will be inherently volatile, but Rangers want to upgrade to sporadic wins. “‘ with constant good luck. . .
“It is a given that it all begins with player recruitment. This is an area of priority for your board, and we anticipate that the coming months will see a strengthening in the leadership and processes of our football department, specifically with this in mind.”
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