Former Portsmouth, Rangers, and Southampton man linked with Championship manager's job

A former Pompey defender has been linked with the manager’s role one of their Championship relegation rivals, despite the post not actually being available.

QPR find themselves bottom of the league following a 2-0 defeat to Leeds United before the international break. Pompey's 3-1 win against Preston North End saw them move off bottom and move two points ahead of QPR.

Marti Cifuentes has been in his post for little over a year, and only signed a contract extension with the Hoops at the end of September. The length of his deal was not disclosed when it was announced, but now there is murmurings from the French media that there could be a managerial change at Loftus Road.

It's suggested by well respected French newspaper L'Equipe that Gregory Vignal is reportedly of interest to QPR. They did contact Vignal, but they didn’t receive any comment back regarding the rumours.

Vignal was touted for a role at Sunderland as a part of Regis Le Bris’s backroom staff, but now he could find himself coming up against him. L’Equipe adds that Vignal was in attendance for the goalless draw between QPR and Sunderland earlier this month.

The 43-year-old played in England for four clubs, arriving in 200 when he joined Liverpool from Montpellier. Pompey signed him on the back of a loan spell at Rangers, and he made 17 appearances in total during the 2005/06 season.

He was released at the end of the campaign, and joined Lens, before returning back to the South Coast in 2007 when he joined Pompy's fiercest rivals Southampton. Vignal later played for Birmingham City, before winding down his career in the French lower leagues with AS Beziers.

After he retired from playing, Vignal became a technical director at amateur club CE Palavas. He had a coaching role at Rangers, working under Steven Gerrard, before later becoming the manager of their Women's team. He was the manager of Versailles from November 2023 to February 2024 but lasted just 10 games, and that's his only real experience of a job as a manager in men's football.