Former Rangers boss 'close' to ending 820-day exile as surprise managerial return on cards with Euro outfit

Beale, 45, has been out of management since being sacked by Sunderland after just 63 days in charge at the Stadium of Light in February 2024, although he did spend a small amount of time as Steven Gerrard’s assistant at Al-Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League, linking up with the former Rangers boss for the second time in his career.

However, it appears Beale is now ready to return to management after an 820-day absence, with Zulte Waregem in “advanced negotiations” over his appointment, according to a report from Belgian news site Nieuwsblad. The Elindus Arena outfit has just escaped relegation to the second-tier under interim boss Steve Colpaert, who took temporary charge of the team following the sacking of Sven Vandenbroeck in March.

Finishing top of their Belgian Pro League relegation playoff group, Essevee won five of their last six games to retain their place in the top flight, but are now looking to appoint a new head coach ahead of next season, with reports saying an agreement with Beale is expected to be wrapped up quickly.

The ex-Ibrox boss first joined Rangers as part of the coaching staff during Gerrard’s three-and-a-half-year reign in charge of the club, working as Rangers’ first-team coach as they went unbeaten to win the Scottish Premiership title in the 2020/21 season. He joined the former Liverpool icon in departing the club shortly afterwards, with the pair moving to Aston Villa in November 2021. The duo lasted just 11 months before they were relieved of their roles in the Midlands.

Beale took in his first managerial role with EFL Championship side Queens Park Rangers the following summer, but was poached by Rangers as a replacement for Giovanni van Bronckhorst just five months into his spell at Loftus Road, with the English head coach named as the Ibrox club’s 18th permanent manager in their history in November 2022.

He struggled in the main role at Rangers, with the club enduring a mixed start to the 2023/24 season, recording eight wins, two draws and four defeats. Beale was sacked just two months into the season after a 3-1 home defeat to Aberdeen, with a third defeat in seven matches sealing his fate. Appointed as manager of Sunderland a year later, his time on Wearside was a disaster, and the club parted ways with him after just nine weeks in the role, where he was succeeded by Regis Le Bris.

In a recent interview with Sky Sports, the former Ibrox boss has revealed he retained a “burning desire” to return to management, saying: “I would be lying if I told you I wasn't missing the day-to-day coaching. I've got a lot of ambition there. It's important to remain confident, keep watching, keep learning, keep listening and keep growing. And the right opportunity will come when it presents itself."

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