Rangers to approach in-demand manager three months after rejecting him for Russell Martin
Russell Martin’s exit from Rangers feels inevitable after a truly dismal start to the season, but there is a huge question over who could replace him.
Martin was an unpopular appointment from the moment he arrived at Ibrox, and the negative reaction to his arrival has since been justified.
A new hierarchy arrived at Rangers in the summer, but they extinguished the brief spell of optimism after hiring Martin.
In the weeks leading up to his appointment, there was plenty of speculation about a different candidate, and he could now be targeted by the Rangers owners again.
Davide Ancelotti could become an option for Rangers
Rangers were reportedly in talks with Davide Ancelotti over the vacant managerial position in the summer, but they elected for Martin instead.
Ancelotti had served as an assistant to his legendary father, Carlo Ancelotti, at Real Madrid, Napoli, Everton and Bayern Munich, and was highly regarded as a coach.
With Rangers choosing Martin, Ancelotti went to Brazilian giants Botafogo, but in the chaos of Brazilian football, he could end up leaving already.
| Stat | Russell Martin | Davide Ancelotti |
| Games | 12 | 16 |
| Wins | 3 | 8 |
| Draws | 5 | 3 |
| Losses | 4 | 5 |
| Scored | 15 | 25 |
| Conceded | 19 | 16 |
| Points per game | 1.17 | 1.69 |
The Daily Record has reported that Ancelotti is expected to be dismissed as Botafogo manager, after exits in the Brazilian cups, and with Rangers now eyeing up alternatives for Martin, the Italian could end up replacing him at Ibrox.
However, it would take a lot to convince Ancelotti to move to Glasgow, and it is questionable whether this would be a good idea.
Davide Ancelotti unlikely to accept Rangers proposal now
If Rangers do go back in for Ancelotti, after rejecting him in favour of Martin before, then it would be a surprise if he said yes.
While Ancelotti may have been open to the job before, Andrew Cavenagh snubbing him for Martin may have ruled out any chance of bringing him in.
Carlo is now manager of the Brazil National Team ahead of the World Cup next summer, and if the Botafogo manager is to play any sort of role there, leaving Brazil would not be the best move.
Botafogo are sixth in the league table, but they are out of the running for any major silverware under Ancelotti, who is now fighting to save his job.
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