Kevin Thelwell strikes again as Rangers poach Wolves figure, arrival date set
Kevin Thelwell has made a habit of turning to familiar faces during his short period as Rangers sporting director.
Thelwell has been slammed for Rangers’ transfer business in his first summer in charge, with the Gers also getting their appointment of Russell Martin badly wrong.
Patrick Stewart and Thelwell are under pressure at Ibrox, but the hope is that Danny Rohl can finally now help steady the ship.
Rohl has started with two wins from three matches in all competitions, with the Gers most recently winning 1-0 at Hibernian on Wednesday.
In what has been a period of massive changes at Rangers, another hire has now been made ahead of the New Year.
Jon Hunter-Barrett to leave Wolves for Rangers
Thelwell has already brought former Everton colleague Dan Purdy on board with him at Rangers, while son Robbie was hired as head of recruitment.
Purdy joined Rangers from Everton in the summer to work as technical director, seeing him work closely with Thelwell across a number of matters.
And according to Training Ground Guru on 30 October, Thelwell is set to be joined by another person he has worked with in the past.
It is reported that Jon Hunter-Barrett is leaving Wolves after 14 years to take up a role as academy director at Rangers early in 2026.
Thelwell was academy manager at Wolves when Hunter-Barrett was first hired at Molineux in May 2011, before rising through various different roles.
Who is new Rangers hire Hunter-Barrett?
In the view of many, Thelwell’s position at Rangers is already untenable due to the whole Martin fiasco and the fumbled replacement search for Rohl.
However, more and more Thelwell allies are arriving at Ibrox, Hunter-Barrett becoming the latest.
- Kevin Thelwell was announced as Rangers’ new sporting director in April
- Oversaw the hiring – and subsequent firing – of Russell Martin
- Played a part in Danny Rohl’s appointment
- Has also seen former colleague Dan Purdy arrive, as well as son Robbie Thelwell
In terms of his CV, Hunter-Barrett does look well stocked to take up this new position, as he is also a UEFA A licence coach and has a Masters in sporting directorship.
Hunter-Barrett’s decade-plus service at Molineux also shows that he has the experience to become Rangers’ academy director.
It is a position David McCallum has overseen on an interim basis since Zeb Jacobs stepped aside in June 2024.
Rangers seem to be making a new appointment or other on a monthly basis right now, but hopefully there can now be some stability around Ibrox.
That includes matters both on the field and off it in what has been a turbulent period.
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