Rangers takeover: US investor to attend Old Firm amid Paraag Marathe doubts
Rangers’ takeover by the 49ers Enterprises group is edging closer.
The US consortium is in the final stages of completing a deal to purchase a controlling stake in the Ibrox club and “productive talks” took place last week, according to a joint statement released by both parties.
Andrew Cavenagh and Paraag Marathe were recently spotted taking a tour of the famous stadium with the takeover expected to be finalised in the summer.
Marathe doubts emerge as Old Firm approaches
Rangers go into the Old Firm clash with Celtic on 4 May with nothing left to play for as the title has already been decided.
However, a report from the print edition of the Daily Record (2 May, page 48) claims that Andrew Cavenagh is set to attend the contest and will be a regular in Govan next season.
It states that Marathe may not as involved, due to his prominent role with Leeds United, who have just been promoted to the Premier League.
The report said: “It is understood that [Cavenagh] will be in the directors’ box again on Sunday and the expectation is he’ll be a regular next season.
“But it remains to be seen if Paraag Marathe will be quite as prominent a face.
“He is a long-serving 49ers exec but has branched out responsibilities lately, having taken over as chairman of Leeds where he’ll have plenty on his hands after promotion.”
Marathe absence should not worry Rangers
If Marathe is not in regular attendance at Ibrox in the future, it should not concern Gers supporters because he will have confidence in the likes of Cavenagh and Gretar Steinsson to oversee the Govan club.
The former Iceland international footballer has shown that he can run a tight ship already, in his role with the Yorkshire club and in previous stints at Tottenham and Everton.
| Club | Role | Duration |
| Fleetwood | Technical director | 2014-15 to 2018-19 |
| Everton | Scout/Chief Scout | 2018-19 to 2021-22 |
| Tottenham | Performance manager | 2022-23 to 2023-24 |
| Leeds | Technical director | 2023-24 to present |
Marathe may decide to focus on his role with the newly promoted side and leave things north of the border to his colleagues, whom he trusts.
There are plenty of issues to solve at Auchenhowie, most prominently, the future of interim boss Ferguson, who has had a mixed spell in the dugout and could be replaced.
Another problem is interest in several star players, like Hamza Igamane and Nicolas Raskin, that is expected to come when the summer transfer window opens.
The 49ers have a tough task to keep hold of those and overhaul the rest of the playing squad, which is clearly not up to scratch at the moment and whether Marathe attends many games or not should not be a pressing concern.