Former QPR, Rangers and Sunderland head coach set for shock takeover at Zulte Waregem
· Yahoo Sports
It is being widely reported that former QPR, Rangers and Sunderland head coach Michael Beale is on his way to Zulte Waregem. According to The Herald, Beale is going to take over at Zulte Waregem for the 2026/2027 season, with the side having secured top flight football for the upcoming campaign following the play-offs. Beale has only been a head coach in Scotland and England, with an assistant role in Saudi Arabia under Steven Gerrard.
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It is certainly an interesting move for both Beale and Zulte Waregem. The English head coach took over as manager of QPR back in June of 2022 but only lasted a few months before being leaving for the Rangers job a few months later. During his time at QPR he averaged 1.4 points per game, a number which jumped to 2.3 points per game and a 72% win rate with Rangers.
Beale did well during his first season as Rangers head coach, finishing second in the league table and securing the most points by a team not to win the title in Scotland. However, the next season Rangers did not start well and Beale was sacked in October 2023. A few months later, Sunderland hired Beale to replace Tony Mowbray. Beale only lasted a few months before leaving Sunderland with four wins, two draws and five defeats. It was also widely believed amongst Sunderland fans that Beale was using a burner account on X to post in support of the head coach,
Clearly, Zulte Waregem will give Beale a great chance to develop his talents as a head coach abroad without as much pressure as he would have been under at Rangers and Sunderland. The side have only really known success under the legendary head coach Francky Dury. The Belgian took the side from the lower reaches of Belgian football to the top flight, narrowly missing out on the league title during the 2010s. The side had great success in the cup under Dury, winning the competition in 2006 and 2017.