Credit: Imago/Sky Sports

Dakir Thanveer

Thu 15 May 2025 11:40, UK

Kris Boyd has made his thoughts on Davide Ancelotti apparent as Rangers ramp up efforts to name their next manager.

With Rangers playing their final game of the season on Saturday (17 May), the Ibrox hierarchy have already turned their attention towards the summer.

Appointing a permanent replacement for Philippe Clement is at the top of their agenda, with the Light Blues now expected to make an appointment before the takeover led by Andrew Cavenagh and Paraag Marathe is finalised.

Rangers appear to have already found their man, having made an offer to Ancelotti ahead of his departure from Real Madrid.

Ibrox too big for Ancelotti, says Boyd

However, Boyd is not sold on the idea of Rangers being Ancelotti’s first job as a first-team manager, as he has only served as an assistant to his father, Carlo Ancelotti, so far.

The Sky Sports pundit believes the Gers cannot afford to ‘gamble’ on the 35-year-old, especially considering other well-regarded managers have struggled at Ibrox, referring to Michael Beale’s flop stint between 2022 and 2023.

He acknowledged Ancelotti’s coaching pedigree, but insisted that the Old Firm giants are ‘different animals’ and any manager in charge of them would have to have a significant grasp of British football.

Boyd also expressed his frustration regarding Rangers’ recruitment and feels their incoming manager should be able to help with that as well.

“Every appointment is a gamble – there’s no getting away from that”, Boyd said on Sky Sports News (15 May, 10:24 am).

“For me, I don’t think Rangers can afford to take this risk.

“I get the fact that Ancelotti has coached at a high level and is obviously good at it, but we’ve seen before that good coaches – even at Rangers – have struggled with the managerial side of it.

“Sometimes people think we’re crazy up here, but Celtic and Rangers are different animals in terms of the pressure in every single game.

“They expect to beat Real Madrid, never mind St Johnstone or Motherwell. It’d be better for Rangers to get someone who, while not a Rangers man as such, they need to have an understanding of the Scottish or British game and what it means to so many people in Scotland.

“Rangers have lost their identity and the recruitment also has to be better. For that, an experienced manager gives you more chance of doing that.”

Ancelotti huge risk for Rangers

Boyd is right. Hiring Ancelotti as their next manager would be a huge risk for Rangers.

However, he is wrong to dismiss the Italian as someone without an understanding of British football, as he notably served as Carlo Ancelotti’s assistant at Everton between 2019 and 2021.

While that does not make up for the young coach’s lack of experience as a manager, a stint with one of the most respected clubs in British football will certainly stand him in good stead.

Furthermore, it is worth noting that Ancelotti has gained a reputation for his coaching prowess in set-pieces, which will certainly be beneficial for Rangers in Scottish football.