Glasgow Rangers are still in the process of finding a new head coach to lead them into the next era at Ibrox under the new ownership that is set to come in.
Patrick Stewart and Kevin Thelwell are tasked with finding a permanent replacement for Philippe Clement, who was relieved of his duties in February, after Barry Ferguson’s interim stint came to an end.
The former Scotland international only won five of his 16 matches in charge of the Gers during his time in the dugout, and it was then confirmed that he would not be offered the job on a full-time basis.
Then, rather bizarrely, the Daily Record reported that Ferguson was planning to get rid of Nils Koppen, the technical director, if he had been given the job, despite the Belgian chief being in a position above his.
The focus is now on finding an external candidate who can come in to bring success back to Ibrox after a season without any major trophies.
One coach who has been linked with a move to Ibrox this summer is former Real Madrid assistant manager Davide Ancelotti, who has been working with his father Carlo Ancelotti.
Why Rangers should avoid Davide Ancelotti
It is first worth acknowledging that there are reasons why the Gers are right to have taken an interest in the Italian coach, because he is vastly experienced at the top level of European football.
As you can see in the graphic above, his father has won the Champions League five times and lifted a league title in all five of the major European leagues.
Davide has not worked with Carlo for all of those achievements, of course, but he has been either a fitness coach or an assistant manager to the legendary manager in his last six jobs.
Real Madrid (Assistant manager)
Carlo Ancelotti
233
Everton (Assistant manager)
Carlo Ancelotti
67
Napoli (Assistant manager)
Carlo Ancelotti
73
Bayern Munich (Assistant manager)
Carlo Ancelotti
60
Real Madrid (Fitness coach)
Carlo Ancelotti
119
PSG (Fitness coach)
Carlo Ancelotti
77
As you can see in the table above, the Rangers target has plenty of experience coaching at the top level under his father, at massive clubs like Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.
However, Davide Ancelotti has not managed a single game as a first-team head coach or manager in his own right, which means that he would also arrive at Ibrox as an incredibly inexperienced boss in that respect.
This means that appointing him would be a huge gamble for Rangers because he is yet to prove that he can successfully coach a winning team on his own, which is why it may come as good news that there is a fresh report detailing the club’s plans to speak with another candidate.
Rangers set for talks with Davide Ancelotti alternative
According to The Scottish Sun, Rangers are set to hold talks with former Scotland international Russell Martin over a deal to be the next head coach at Ibrox.
The report claims that the ex-Southampton manager will meet with Gers chiefs at some point this week to discuss a potential move to Glasgow ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.
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It states that Ancelotti, Steven Gerrard, and Brian Priske are also in the running, as Stewart and Thelwell have a shortlist of candidates that they are working through to find the new Rangers head coach.
The Scottish Sun claims that there have already been initial talks held with Martin, but they are set for further discussions when they will allow him to outline how he would bring success back to Ibrox as a coach.
However, the outlet adds that he is also a strong contender for the Leicester City job in the English Championship, which could mean that the Light Blues need to move quickly if they want him as their next boss.
Martin should, with this in mind, be a strong candidate for the role because he could be an even better option than Ancelotti and Priske this summer.
Why Russell Martin would be a good appointment for Rangers
On paper, Priske looks to be an excellent option for the job because he has won two titles with Sparta Prague and one title with Midtjylland in Denmark, which shows that he can coach a winning team.
However, the Danish tactician has typically favoured a 3-4-3 shape throughout his career, which worked in Czechia and Denmark to win titles, but he had to adapt at Feyenoord and switched between 4-4-2, 4-3-3, and 4-2-3-1 formations, with little success, before being sacked shortly after losing 6-1 to Lille in the Champions League.
With Rangers typically playing against teams sitting in a low block, a 3-4-3 formation that is more suited to transitional games and playing on the counter with wing-backs bombing on may not suit a tilt at the Scottish Premiership title, and his Feyenoord performance suggests that he is not successful at coaching four at the back formations.
This is one key reason why Martin could be better than him for this job, because he plays an attacking 4-3-3 formation that is well-suited to dominating and breaking down low blocks, as evidenced by his side’s performance in the Championship in the 2023/24 campaign when they won the play-offs to earn promotion to the Premier League.
Pass accuracy
87.7%
1st
Passes into the penalty area
594
1st
Progressive passes
2556
1st
Shot-creating actions
1255
1st
xG
79.8
2nd
Points per game
1.89
4th
As you can see in the table above, the former Rangers loanee successfully deployed a team that dominated the ball whilst creating high-quality chances at an exceptional rate.
Analyst John Walker described Martin’s style as “exciting” and “total football” and those statistics back that up, as the manager has proven that he can coach a team to be incredibly dominant and creative when he has the players to do so.
Of course, he was sacked by Southampton earlier this season after a dismal run of 13 losses in 16 Premier League games, but the Saints went on to lose 30 times in 38 matches, suggesting that Martin was not the only problem there.
The Scottish tactician also showcased his coaching ability in the lower leagues in England with MK Dons, helping to coach this incredible goal below.
Martin could bring an enjoyable and successful style of play to Rangers that could help them compete for trophies again, and could be a better option than Priske, due to his stylistic issues, and Ancelotti, who is an unknown quantity.
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