Rangers are nearing an agreement to appoint a new manager, with Pep Guardiola expressing interest in learning from the candidate.
It has been over 100 days since Philippe Clement was dismissed from his role at Ibrox. Since his departure, Rangers have managed to secure only six victories across all competitions, with interim manager Barry Ferguson recording some of the poorest statistics in the club’s history.
However, with the arrival of new sporting director Kevin Thelwell and under the ownership of Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises, efforts to find a permanent successor to Clement have accelerated.
Clement was relieved of his duties in February following a 2-0 home defeat to St Mirren. Now, Thelwell is advancing negotiations to appoint Russell Martin as the next manager, marking a fresh start for Rangers.
According to Sky Sports’ live Transfer Centre report on June 3rd, Rangers are “in advanced talks” with the former Southampton boss, who has been unemployed since December. Martin was dismissed by Southampton seven months ago after securing just one win in 16 Premier League games, with the team remaining at the bottom of the table.
Martin, a former defender who had a brief loan spell at Rangers in 2018, has also managed MK Dons and Swansea City. He appears poised to return to Ibrox to work alongside Cavenagh, Paraag Marathe, Patrick Stewart, and Thelwell in ushering in a new era for the club.
Despite Southampton’s difficult season, Martin earned praise from Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola. After City’s narrow 1-0 win over Southampton in October, Guardiola commended Martin’s tactical setup, admitting that he had lessons to learn from the Scottish manager.
As reported by BBC Sport, Guardiola said, “It’s a good game to learn as a manager. I am going to learn a lot with Russell because they did really well.”
While Martin is reportedly close to securing the Rangers role, Davide Ancelotti is also reportedly still under consideration to take charge at Ibrox.
