Danny Rohl Leaves Rangers for RB Salzburg
Danny Rohl has departed Rangers after just eight months as head coach to take over as the head coach of Red Bull Salzburg.
The German coach's exit means Rangers will be seeking their third manager in 12 months, with Hearts head coach Derek McInnes strongly linked to the position.
Rohl, aged 37, took over from Russell Martin in October and guided Rangers into a competitive three-way title race. However, a poor run after the league split resulted in a third-place finish behind Celtic and Hearts, with Rangers ending the season without any trophies.
Rangers chairman Andrew Cavenagh publicly supported Rohl at the end of the season, but the German now returns to the Red Bull football group, having started his coaching career at RB Leipzig under Ralph Hasenhuttl.
Rohl, who had two years remaining on his contract, leaves to manage Salzburg, who finished third in the Austrian Bundesliga last season—their lowest league position in 20 years—and will enter the Europa League at the third qualifying round, the same stage as Rangers.
Daniel Beichler was dismissed as Salzburg manager last month after just 14 games in charge.
Rohl joined Hasenhuttl at Southampton in 2018, later moving to Bayern Munich as assistant to Hansi Flick, contributing to the club's Bundesliga title win. He was appointed Sheffield Wednesday manager in 2023.
Rohl Never Seemed Comfortable at Rangers - Analysis
Rohl's departure is somewhat embarrassing for chairman Andrew Cavenagh, who had publicly defended the manager amid criticism from supporters.
I wonder if Rohl was ever really happy at Rangers. He never gave the impression he was totally at ease with the league.
Despite the club's efforts to support him, including providing funds for player acquisitions, it appears Rohl was not a natural fit for Scottish football.
I think the club have done everything to try to put him at ease and they gave him money to spend, but I'm not sure he's ever been a natural fit for Scottish football.
For Rangers, Derek McInnes is considered an obvious choice.
He's very experienced, a gnarled pro in Scotland, there's nothing he doesn't know about this league. His work ethic is through the roof.
He would be a very good fit for Rangers.
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Abrupt End to Rohl's Rollercoaster Tenure
Rohl's record at Rangers across all competitions was 22 wins, 11 losses, and seven draws in 40 matches.
Initially, Rohl withdrew from consideration to replace Russell Martin but later accepted the role after the club failed to secure Steven Gerrard or Kevin Muscat.
He revitalized Rangers following a poor start to the season, transforming the team from mid-table underperformers into title contenders.
However, after the league split, Rangers faltered, suffering four defeats in their final five games, which ended their hopes of winning their first Premiership title in five years.
Elimination from both domestic cup competitions by rivals Celtic further increased fan frustration and intensified pressure on Rohl.
Despite this, chairman Cavenagh, whose American consortium took control of the club a year ago, sought to calm speculation about Rohl's future last month amid reported interest from Wolfsburg, affirming that Rohl would lead a "summer of substantial change."
Rohl was allocated funds to sign four players in January, and Scotland striker Lawrence Shankland was already acquired from Hearts as part of a squad rebuild planned for Rohl's first summer in charge.
With Rohl's departure, the responsibility for the summer recruitment now falls to a new manager, with little time to spare as the squad is scheduled to return to training this week.
