Rangers figures anxious of sack after 49ers and Cavenagh takeover – Exclusive
Rangers are going through a period of change, with new majority owners now in place and a new manager set to follow.
Andrew Cavenagh and the 49ers Enterprises finalised their takeover at Ibrox last week and have committed to invest an initial £20million.
That bombshell update was followed by news that Nils Koppen, who was working on Rangers transfer targets, is to leave his position as technical director.
Koppen was initially hired as director of football recruitment before moving into his most recent position towards the end of 2024.
Koppen may not be last Rangers figure to exit
Koppen lasted a little over 16 months at Ibrox, with Dan Purdy set to now work closely with fellow newbie Kevin Thelwell behind the scenes.
The pair know each other from their time at Everton, which could suggest Thelwell wants to work with others he knows.
| Position | Goal Difference | Points |
| 2nd | 39 | 75 |
And according to pundit Derek Ferguson, speaking exclusively to Ibrox News, other figures at Rangers may now be sweating over their own roles.
“Everyone will be feeling under more scrutiny,” he said. “I think it’s unfair on Koppen because he was asked to do two or three jobs in once originally – it wasn’t fair.
“The recruitment has been way off it for years now for a club like Rangers. I did think Koppen, who is experienced, still had a role to play there.
“The new guys will do their due diligence and see if there are better people out there for various roles – that’s just the way of football.
“But a lot of people will now be looking over their shoulders wondering if they still have a job at Rangers.”
Thelwell to have say on next Rangers manager
Thelwell may only have officially started his Rangers role recently, but he would have no doubt had one eye on the job while working at Everton.
The sporting director is working closely with Patrick Stewart to find Rangers’ next manager, which is now widely considered to be Russell Martin.
Only once Martin is appointed can Rangers start to bring in new players, and that will ultimately be the proof in the pudding as to whether Thelwell is better suited to the position than previous incumbents.