Queens Park Rangers are weighing up a move for Gregory Vignal should Marti Cifuentes be sacked according to reports in France.
Cifuentes took over at Loftus Road from the now-Shrewsbury Town target Gareth Ainsworth and secured the side’s status in the Championship in the final stages of the season. It was a promising display from the Spaniard but this season has failed to live up to those expectations and now sees the West London club at the foot of the second tier.
Frenchman A Possible Successor
According to reports from L’Equipe, former Liverpool and Portsmouth man Vignal could be the potential replacement should the higher-ups at QPR decide to dismiss Cifuentes from his post. This season has seen The R’s win just once and have drawn and lost seven times each in the league and were knocked out of the EFL Cup in the second round to Luton Town. The former Hammarby IF man was rewarded with a new contract just last month.
Vignal has managerial experience, currently holding a UEFA Pro Licence. He was appointed the manager of Glasgow Rangers’ women’s side but left after his contract expired in 2020. Most recently he was in charge of Versailles in the third division of France but was dismissed after just 10 games in charge. He has more frequently coached in youth setups of sides such as Montpellier and Dundee.
L’Equipe also noted that the 43-year-old was in attendance when QPR played out a draw with Sunderland and spoke to members of the board of the Loftus Road side. He was previously close to joining Regis Le Bris on Wearside as a coach.
Writer’s View
This certainly would be a left field appointment should Queens Park Rangers decide to bite the bullet and sack Marti Cifuentes. Gregory Vignal’s only experience in senior men’s management came in the French third tier and he was sacked after 10 games. By comparison, Regis Le Bris had many years of experience under his belt from Lorient before taking over at Sunderland. There are surely better candidates available should Cifuentes go.
1st Class Honours in Multimedia Journalism at Salford University. Writing mainly about League Two.
