Davide Ancelotti still ‘fancies’ Rangers in new manager twist at Ibrox
Davide Ancelotti has been heavily linked with the Rangers job, but doubts have emerged.
As the 49ers Enterprises look to complete their takeover at Ibrox, all eyes are on the hot seat with Barry Ferguson having left his interim role.
An announcement of a new Rangers boss is expected to come by the end of the week, with the impending new owners already getting to work.
Steven Gerrard is seemingly the favourite as it stands, but Ancelotti is not to be written out of the equation just yet, despite others doing so.
Ancelotti has eyes on Rangers
Although Ancelotti had been heavily linked with a move to Ibrox, the noise has shifted to Gerrard of late, with a potential return to Glasgow on the cards.
Ferguson was vocal about the need for a speedy appointment ahead of his exit from Ibrox, and with the departure of several players at Rangers already announced, there is certainly work to be done.
Russell Martin is another name that is in contention, with reports stating that it is between him and the former Gers boss to take the final role.
Ancelotti appears to be still in the running, though, despite those suggestions.
Speaking on The Rangers Review Podcast (21 May), Chris Jack revealed the race is still wide open: “I think when you get to this stage, anything is possible.
“There seems to be a real momentum over Steven Gerrard in the last 48 hours or so, there has been a wee bit of momentum behind Russell Martin as well.
“The momentum seems to have fallen away a wee bit in terms of the online chatter in terms of Davide Ancelotti, but as far as we understand it, Davide Ancelotti is still very much in the picture in this process.
“He’s very much invested in this process, he would like to be the next Rangers manager. Whether he will get the chance to be Rangers manager or not, we will find out in the coming days.
“Ancelotti still fancies his chances of this job.”
49ers have big calls to make at Ibrox
An appointment may be expected by the end of the week, but these latest comments suggest that there is still plenty being pondered at Rangers before a decision is made.
Gerrard is heavily linked with a return, but it’s an appointment that could split the opinion of the fanbase and if it were unsuccessful, there would be big questions asked of the new owners.
| Gerrard win rate with Rangers |
| 64.8% |
Ancelotti is certainly a risky appointment himself, given that he has no experience as a number one, but if he is keen on the job, as Jack suggests, that may be a big boost.
The clock is ticking and the 49ers certainly need to make a final decision on the three potential candidates, securing a deal to bring someone into Ibrox as soon as possible.
There is so much work to be done in Glasgow this summer that a clear direction has to be set now.