Kevin Thelwell to hold Barry Ferguson talks within days in first Rangers meeting
Kevin Thelwell is expected to get straight down to work after being appointed as the new Rangers sporting director.
Rangers announced the appointment of Thelwell in a senior role on Wednesday (23 April), although the Welshman does not join them until his contract with Everton runs out at the end of the season.
However, Thelwell might not wait that long, as the Light Blues prepare for a big summer amid an impending takeover by Andrew Cavenagh and Paraag Marathe.
The incoming sporting director is mooted to have been appointed with the 49ers’ approval, meaning he will be working on their behalf going forward, with big decisions to make already.
Thelwell to hold meeting with Ferguson
While the announcement of the takeover by the 49ers is still weeks away, Rangers need to make a decision over their manager situation, as Barry Ferguson’s contract expires at the end of the season.
Therefore, Keith Jackson has tipped Thelwell to sit down with the former captain for talks in the ‘space of the next few days’ after being officially announced as the Gers’ new sporting director.
That means the former New York Red Bulls chief may not wait until his contract with Everton runs out to pull the strings at Ibrox.
| Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals | Points | Points Per Match |
| 10 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 20:20 | 14 | 1.40 |
The Record journalist is convinced that Ferguson does not expect to be in the running for the manager job, but feels Thelwell could have other thoughts on the matter.
Nevertheless, the incoming sporting director is poised to hold discussions with the manager imminently.
“I’m fairly confident in saying I believe one of his first meetings is going to be with Barry Ferguson, and that is going to be a real indicator for what the future is going to look like”, Jackson said on Hotline Live (24 April).
“What is the purpose of the conversation with Barry Ferguson? Is it a fact-finding mission? Or is it to have a discussion about next season and if Barry Ferguson is still going to be there?
“I know that, I have said it previously, and I believe it to be the case, Barry Ferguson doesn’t believe himself to be a contender for this, but you never know what Kevin Thelwell’s thoughts are going to be on that.
“So, that will be interesting, and I think very soon there will be a meeting in the space of the next few days, and after that, things will start to clear up in terms of what direction everything is about to move in.”
Rangers to move on from Ferguson
As Jackson said, Rangers are unlikely to stick with Ferguson as their manager for next season.
The incoming owners will probably want to make a statement upon their arrival and therefore might hire a big-name manager.
Daniel Farke has been mooted as an option to replace Ferguson after it emerged that Leeds United are considering replacing him, despite the German leading them to promotion.
The former Norwich boss has worked with Marathe at Elland Road and could potentially jump ship to Rangers.
However, such decisions will not be made until the takeover goes through.