Saudi Arabia ‘Court’ Scottish soccer stalwarts

Image: Al-Qadsiah Club and James Bisgrove (LinkedIn)

The former Rangers F.C. (the Scottish Premiership club) head honcho James Bisgrove is set to link up with an ex-Premiership boss in Saudi Arabia, according to a report.

‘THE SCOTTISH SUN’ stated that the Ibrox chief had dramatically quit ‘The Light Blues’ to seal a big-money move to the Middle East.

The Rangers Football Club is a professional football club in Glasgow, Scotland (UK). The team competes in the Scottish Premiership, the top division of Scottish football. The club is often referred to colloquially as the Glasgow Rangers, particularly outside Scotland, though this has never been its official name.

The Ibrox Stadium is a football stadium on the South side of the River Clyde in the Ibrox area of Glasgow, Scotland (UK). The home of the Scottish Premiership team Rangers Football Club, Ibrox is the third largest football stadium in Scotland, with an all-seated capacity of 50,987.

‘THE SCOTTISH SUN’ further stated that Bisgrove, 39, agreed to a deal with the newly-promoted Al Qadsiah FC, who are owned by the Saudi oil giants Aramco, with John Bennett (Chairman of Rangers F.C.) filling the void in Govan (riverside district and borders the district of Ibrox) on an interim basis while the ‘Gers’ continue their search for a new appointment.

The Al-Qadsiah Football Club is a Saudi Arabian professional football club that competes in the Saudi Pro League, the highest division of association football in the Saudi league system. The team is based in the Eastern City of Khobar (Saudi Arabia) and their home ground is the Prince Saud bin Jalawi Stadium.

The Prince Saud bin Jalawi Sports City is a multipurpose stadium in Khobar, Saudi Arabia. It opened in 1983. The venue is currently used mostly for football matches. It is the home stadium of the Al-Qadsiah Football Club. The stadium has a capacity to pack in 11,000 spectators.

The Saudi Aramco, officially the Saudi Arabian Oil Group or simply Aramco, is a State-owned petroleum and natural gas company that is the national oil company of Saudi Arabia. As of 2022, it is the second-largest company in the world by revenue and is headquartered in Dhahran.

And there could be another familiar name to the Scottish football fans joining him at the ambitious Saudi side.

The former Manager of the Scottish Premiership club Dundee United F.C. Tam Courts is reportedly closing in on a shock move to the same club as he’s being lined up to join the Manager of Al-Qadsiah Football Club Míchel’s coaching staff.

The Al Qadsiah secured promotion to the top flight last season with the LaLiga club Real Madrid CF (Spain) legend Míchel at the helm and he is now looking to bolster his backroom team with the appointment of Courts.

The ex-Tannadice (Courts) and the Scottish League One club Kelty Hearts F.C. (Scotland) gaffer (boss) has been out of work since his short stint in Hungary with the Budapest Honvéd Football Club, but he looks set to make a shock return to football.

Míchel has already added quality to his playing staff using his Bernabéu (Real Madrid CF home ground – the 85,000-capacity Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid, Spain) connections to land Real Madrid and Spain defender Nacho (Spanish footballer) as well as Belgium No.1 Koen Casteels (Belgian soccer goalkeeper).

But he is also looking to produce top quality homegrown players ahead of Saudi Arabia hosting the World Cup in 2034, with Courts expected to play a key role in the development of their rising stars.

And the club are in the planning process of building a new stadium which will be host matches at the tournament.

It is reported that Courts is in “advanced talks” with the club – who are rivals of Steven Gerrard’s (Manager) Saudi Pro League club Al-Ettifaq – and is expected to put pen to paper and complete the switch in the coming weeks before the start of the next season.

The 42-year-old recently opened up on his time away from football and admitted that he is itching to return to the game after almost two years out.

Commented Court, “I look at some Managers who maybe jump too quickly, whereas I’ve taken the view that I want to take a bit of time. But I definitely feel like it’s coming to a natural end and I’m ready to get back on the training pitch. Whether that is in Scotland, at different levels, or abroad again, I’m open to all opportunities.”

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