Kevin Thelwell 'interested' in hiring former Everton coach as next Rangers manager

A former Everton coach is a frontrunner to become Rangers’ new manager.

Outgoing Toffees director of football Kevin Thelwell has agreed to take up the role of sporting director at Ibrox. Thelwell did not have his Everton contract renewed by The Friedkin Group, with the club going in a different direction.

However, Thelwell has landed another big role at Rangers. His chief remit will be to help oversee the club back to the top of Scottish football, with the Gers not winning the title since 2021.

His first task is to help find a new manager. After the sacking of Philippe Clement in February, Rangers legend Barry Ferguson has held the reins in a caretaker capacity. It is unlikely that Ferguson will gain the role on a permanent basis.

Sean Dyche was initially linked with the role weeks after he was sacked by Everton. However, it appears that the Glasgow giants will go in a different direction. Steven Gerrard has been mooted for a return after delivering the Scottish Premiership in 2021 before leaving for Aston Villa only months later.

But there are suggestions that Davide Ancelotti is leading the way to land the role. He is the son of legendary manager Carlo Ancelotti and served as Everton’s assistant manager during his father’s tenure between December 2019 and May 2021.

In the 2020-21 season, the Blues finished 10th in the Premier League before Ancelotti Snr made a surprise return to Real Madrid. Ancelotti Jnr followed him, with the pair winning two Champions League and two La Liga titles.

However, the pair’s time at the Santiago Bernabeu will come to an end in the coming weeks after crashing out of the Champions League at the hands of Arsenal and losing the La Liga title to bitter foes Barcelona. Xabi Alonso is set to take up the Los Blancos hot seat and Ancelotti Snr has agreed to become Brazil’s manager but will not be joined by his son.

Spanish media outlet AS Diario has suggested that Ancelotti Jnr will ‘begin a new era’ at Rangers. If successful, it will be the first time the 35-year-old takes up a top job.

Rangers are on the cusp of being taken over by 49ers Enterprises, who own Leeds United, and the new era is said to appeal to Ancelotti Jnr, who also served as his father’s assistant at Bayern Munich and Napoli. Italian club Como are also reportedly keen, with Cesc Fabregas linked to take over at Bayer Leverkusen.