Glasgow Rangers have already confirmed that Barry Ferguson’s time as interim manager of the Ibrox club came to an end after the Scottish Premiership season concluded.
The Light Blues were held to a 2-2 draw at Easter Road on the final day of the league season, as Rangers cemented their second-placed finish behind their city rivals.
Ferguson’s interim spell ended with six wins, five draws, and four defeats in 15 matches in all competitions, which was far from impressive on paper for the inexperienced Scottish coach.
It has now been confirmed that he will not be in contention for the job on a full-time basis, as the Gers are now looking elsewhere for a permanent successor to Philippe Clement, who was relieved of his duties in February.
There have already been plenty of interesting names linked with the vacant managerial position at Ibrox, ranging from British coaches, foreign coaches with British experience, and left-field coaches with no experience in British football.
One of the names who has been mentioned alongside the Rangers job in recent weeks is Real Madrid assistant first-team coach Davide Ancelotti, the son of Carlo Ancelotti.
Why Rangers should avoid Davide Ancelotti
There have been some contradicting reports on the club’s interest in the Italian tactician of late, with talk of an offer from the Gers and then a report saying that was false and that he wants to join his father with the Brazil national team for a year.
Whether he is a serious candidate for the job or not, the 49ers and Kevin Thelwell should look elsewhere in their search for a new head coach because of the job facing the next manager ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.
Rangers have finished second in the Premiership in each of the last four seasons, watching their city rivals lift the trophy each year, and need a head coach who can bring success back to Ibrox.
Whilst Ancelotti is an exciting prospect, because he has yet to manage at first-team level and is full of untapped potential, the fact that he is an unknown quantity as a manager also counts against him for this particular job.
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
The 35-year-old coach, as shown by his career path above, has not been a first-team manager to date, as he has only worked as part of his father’s coaching staff, as either a fitness coach or as an assistant manager.
Whilst there is a lot of brilliant experience in some of the best leagues in Europe at some of the biggest clubs in the world there, Ancelotti has not proven himself as the main man and that is why Rangers, in their current situation, should look elsewhere.
Rangers want to appoint new manager this week
As per a fresh report from the Daily Mail, Rangers are looking to appoint a more experienced manager as they are set to hold talks with English boss Steven Gerrard.
The report claims that the club are planning to hold talks with the Liverpool legend within the next 48 hours to discuss a potential return to Ibrox, having left the job to join Aston Villa back in 2021.
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It states that Gerrard, who is currently without a club, is currently the frontrunner to land the role, and that Rangers want to have a deal wrapped up by the end of this week if possible.
All going well, the English manager could be holding up a Gers scarf for the second time before next Monday, although there is no mention of how interested he is in making a return to Glasgow.
With this news in mind, the club must convince Gerrard to return to Ibrox before the end of the week during these talks that are due to take place within the next 48 hours because he would make supporters forget about wanting Ancelotti.
Why Gerrard would make Rangers forget Ancelotti
As aforementioned, the Real Madrid assistant manager would arrive at Ibrox as a huge gamble by the club, given his lack of senior managerial experience, but that would not be the case with Gerrard.
In fact, the English head coach may be the safest possible appointment for Rangers to make, given that he is the only Gers manager who has won the Premiership in the last decade.
The former England international lost more games than he won at Aston Villa (19 vs 13) and Al Ettifaq (20 vs 19) after moving on from Ibrox in 2021, but there is no mocking his record during his time in Scottish football.
After being given time to build a squad in the 2018/19 and 2019/20 campaigns, Gerrard won the Premiership title in the 2020/21 season with 32 wins and zero losses in the top-flight, an achievement that was described as “unbelievable” by journalist Leanne Prescott.
Matches
38
12
Wins
32
8
Draws
6
3
Defeats
0
1
Points
102
27
Points per game
2.68
2.25
League position
1st (Champions)
1st
As you can see in the table above, the 4-3-3 manager only lost one of his last 50 matches in charge of the club, and left the team at the top of the table before Giovanni van Bronckhorst failed to follow up with another title success.
Gerrard, once dubbed “amazing” by Glen Johnson, has proven that he can deliver a successful style of football at Ibrox, given his incredible record across his last 50 games and the title that he won in the 2020/21 campaign.
Rangers have failed to win the Premiership in the last four seasons, and they need a head coach who can bring the title back to Ibrox next term. So, who better than the only man to have done it in the last decade? That is why appointing Gerrard could make fans forget about the exciting potential of bringing Ancelotti in for his first managerial job.
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