Kevin Thelwell wasted millions on Russell Martin flop, it’s why Rangers need to sack him
Rangers fans are adamant that manager Russell Martin needs to be sacked, but Kevin Thelwell should also follow him out the door.
Thelwell became sporting director in the summer as part of a major restructure under the new ownership of Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises.
The director appointed Martin as manager in a decision which was doomed to fail, and both Thelwell and Gretar Steinsson are now receiving criticism for their judgement.
Rangers invested heavily under the new ownership in the summer, and 13 new signings arrived at Ibrox, but so far, very few have been successful, and one has been a particularly bad use of resources.
Emmanuel Fernandez has been a flop for Rangers so far
Rangers signed players across most areas of the pitch, and this included Peterborough United centre-back Emmanuel Fernandez.
Fernandez, 23, joined for £3.5million, a significant fee given that his highest level of experience was in the English third division, finishing 18th in League One last season.
| Stat | Fernandez |
| Appearances | 61 |
| Goals | 7 |
| Yellow cards | 8 |
Rangers did need a centre-back after the departure of veteran Leon Balogun, but Fernandez was one of several arrivals in the position.
Nassr Djiga also joined from Wolves but has been a disaster so far, while Derek Cornelius arrived on deadline day from Marseille.
Despite Djiga’s struggles, the former Peterborough star has made just two appearances for Rangers, with Fernandez struggling against St Mirren in the league and Alloa Athletic in the League Cup.
With Cornelius joining the squad, Fernandez did not even make the bench against Hearts, and does not appear even remotely close to the starting XI.
This comes despite Thelwell throwing a lot of money at a 23-year-old with limited experience who has done little to show that he is Rangers quality, and barring a turnaround, Fernandez could be yet another signing who leaves for a huge financial loss.
- Read more: Rangers sack latest from United States as Andrew Cavenagh holds Russell Martin crisis talks
Kevin Thelwell’s job should be in danger
The decision to hire Martin, and the excessive spending on unproven players, could come back to haunt Rangers for a very long time, and Thelwell is culpable.
Youssef Chermiti is another gamble Thelwell has taken, with a record fee spent on a completely unproven forward expected to make an impact at a team in crisis.
Neither Fernandez nor Chermiti will be to blame if they end up leaving Rangers as flop transfers; Thelwell is the one who identified them as players who could improve the squad in the short and long term.
Martin clearly has no intention of using Fernandez, but with John Souttar, Djiga and Cornelius ahead of him, he is destined to be a very expensive reserve backup who may well end up leaving next year.
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