Steven Gerrard will have stay and patient and wait to make a return to one of his former sides, with there financial implications to consider for the next couple of months.
With Rangers sacking Philippe Clement on Sunday night, Gerrard has emerged as the favourite, according to OLBG, to become the club's next permanent manager.
Clement leaves Rangers sat second in the Scottish Premier League but 13 points behind rivals and leaders Celtic. A 2-0 defeat on Satday at home to St. Mirren put the final nail in Clement's coffin, with speculation now beginning to swirl around his successor.
Steven Gerrard might not be able to become Rangers manager as soon as he would like
Out-of-work Gerrard has emerged as the favourite as a result, seven years after he initially took the job in April 2018. His first role in management at the time, Gerrard has since gained experience in the Premier League with Aston Villa and more recently at Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia.
But while a move back to Glasgow looks like it could suit both parties, there are financial issues Gerrard has to consider before stepping back in.
According to Talksport, Gerrard isn't able to take the Rangers job until April at the earliest due to potential tax issues in Saudi Arabia. If he did return to the UK before then, he could be forced into paying tax on everything he earned while in Saudi Arabia for the period between April 2024 and January 2025.
UK tax rules require those working abroad to remain out of the country for a full tax year in order to avoid a bill on their their earnings once they return.
With tax years running from April to April, Gerrard has to remain a non-UK resident for the next couple of months to avoid paying a multi-million-pound tax bill - the Liverpool legend earned a reported £15m-per-year while managing at Al-Ettifaq, which would become liable for tax.
The aforementioned report suggests that Gerrard will likely wait until the summer before potentially becoming the next Rangers manager, with Barry Ferguson reportedly set to take over at Ibrox until the end of the season. That interim role would then open the door for Gerrard to make his return to the club ahead of the 2025/26 season.
Gerrard has been out of work since leaving Al-Ettifaq in January, whom he joined in the summer of 2023. He oversaw a decent if not spectacular job in the Saudi Pro League, but his Rangers legacy certainly still lives on.
That's because he's still the most-recent Rangers manager to have won the Scottish Premiership, achieved in 2021 to end Celtic's attempt at ten league titles in a row. In FourFourTwo's opinion, Gerrard would make a smart decision in returning to Rangers, but whether the Scottish side will want to bring him back is another story.
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