‘Kevin Muscat staff at Rangers to have local feel except one crucial component from Shanghai’
Rangers look likely to appoint Kevin Muscat as their next manager with Neil McCann as assistant.
Andrew Cavenagh has taken his time to replace Russell Martin, and the managerial saga has been frustrating for supporters in G51.
Muscat’s arrival at Ibrox seems close, with the Light Blues reaching an agreement with him over a potential contract.
The Glaswegian outfit may have to wait for the Australian boss as he looks to finish the league season with Shanghai Port, who are on course to win their second consecutive Chinese Super League title.
Les Gelis could follow Kevin Muscat to Rangers
Shanghai Port’s head of performance Les Giles may move with Muscat to the Gers, Keith Jackson says.
Giles has been influential in China, with maintaining high fitness being something the Australian manager values for his style of football.
As a result, the Daily Record journalist feels Giles could potentially be a crucial component of the Shanghai Port manager’s backroom staff at Ibrox, which may have a local feel overall.
Speaking on Hotline Live on 16 October, Jackson said: “One person you should take a look at in terms of possibly making the same journey from Shanghai to Glasgow is a really interesting guy called Les Gelis, who is currently employed in Shanghai as head of high performance.”
Jackson added: “He’s emerged as a real key guy in Muscat’s set-up because it’s his job to make sure that the players are peaking and hitting fitness levels which Muscat believes are absolutely essential in order to play his style of football.
“So I think that Les Gelis could be a crucial component, and I expect he’ll make the same journey from Shanghai to Glasgow, with perhaps a more local feel to the coaching staff.”
Kevin Muscat may arrive at Ibrox sooner from Shanghai Port
Muscat took another step towards the Chinese Super League title, with Shanghai Port beating Qingdao Hainiu 4-3 on 17 October.
While the Australian manager’s team are at the top of the table, they are just two points ahead of second-place Chengdu Rongcheng.
| CSL table | Matches played | Points |
| 1. Shanghai Port | 27 | 60 |
| 2. Chengdu Rongcheng | 27 | 58 |
| 3. Shanghai Shenhua | 27 | 57 |
As things stand, there have been talks of Muscat only arriving at Rangers after the CSL season ends on 22 November, and it will be interesting to see whether they will be able to convince him to come sooner, with the title race so close.
Shanghai Port have three more games left in the league, but if they manage to secure first place before the end of the league season in China, the Glaswegian outfit should ask him to take the reins immediately.
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