Rangers set for ‘monumental’ behind the scenes revamp amid ‘Goliath’ takeover
Rangers are certain to undergo an internal surgery when the takeover by 49ers Enterprises goes through.
It emerged in February that 49ers Enterprises, the investment arm of the San Francisco 49ers, are in advanced talks over acquiring a controlling stake in Rangers.
There has been a major development in the story, with Sky Sports reporting on Monday (3 March) that there is an agreement in principle for the proposed deal to go through.
That means the 49ers will come into power at Ibrox after due diligence is carried out and the paperwork is signed.
Keith Jackson details 49ers possibilities
Keith Jackson believes the 49ers’ takeover is enough reason for Rangers fans to be excited about the future as he expects the new owners to turn the club upside down after the deal is finalised.
The journalist insisted that the new owners’ arrival will see a departure from how the Light Blues are run amateurishly at the moment.
| Rangers shareholders | Shares (rounded) |
| Dave King | 13% |
| Douglas Park | 12% |
| George Taylor | 10% |
| Stuart Gibson | 9.5% |
| John Bennett | 7% |
| Julian Wolhardt | 6.7% |
| John Halstead | 6% |
He added that the consortium including Paraag Marathe of Leeds United are certain to bring about “monumental” changes at Ibrox, having built a good reputation as “goliaths” in the sports industry.
“This club need to be modernised, streamlined”, Jackson said on the Daily Record’s Hotline Live (3 March). “It needs to be turned upside down. It needs to be completely revamped and recalibrated.
“Rangers fans now, they can look and they can see this is the 49ers, it is one of the most professionally-run sporting goliaths anywhere on the planet.
“They have got it down in terms of how they run a sporting club and an outfit.
“I think Rangers have been run like bowling clubs, it’s amateur and has been for a period of time now.
“You’re going from that to potentially one of the most professionally-run outfits anywhere in world sports in 49ers.
“I think that should be the thing that Rangers fans concentrate on just now because there is about to be monumental change, and modernisation and everything the club have been crying out for a very long time.”
Rangers await takeover approval
With an agreement already in place, it is only a matter of time before the 49ers complete the takeover of the club.
That is certain to mark the start of a new dawn for Rangers, who have been facing the consequences of mismanagement for years.
Fans will hope that the new owners will make major changes behind the scenes, with a new board and director of football potentially on the agenda among other things.
On the pitch, there is a need to identify and appoint a permanent replacement for Philippe Clement, although Barry Ferguson is in charge until the end of the season.
However, that is expected to take the back seat for the time being as all involved parties push to get the takeover across the line.