49ers keen on Rangers move for 4-3-3 manager

Glasgow Rangers decided to part ways with Belgian head coach Philippe Clement last month after less than 18 months in the dugout at Ibrox.

The former AS Monaco and Club Brugge boss won the League Cup early on in his tenure, but his side’s poor form in the 2024/25 campaign led to the board relieving him of his duties.

Rangers were 13 points behind Celtic in the Scottish Premiership at the time of his exit, had already lost to the Hoops in the League Cup final, and were knocked out of the SFA Cup by second tier outfit Queen’s Park.

The board opted to bring Barry Ferguson in as the interim replacement and he secured a terrific win last time out in the Europa League, beating Fenerbahce 3-1 away from home.

Sky Sports recently reported that Paraag Marathe – president of San Francisco 49ers investment arm, the 49ers Enterprises – and health insurance tycoon Andrew Cavenagh, who is executive chairman of ParetoHealth, are two key figures in a US takeover that has been agreed in principle.

The Gers now look set for new ownership this year, and they are reportedly set to play a big role in the appointment of Clement’s long-term replacement, with Rafa Benitez being one of the potential candidates.

Why Rangers should avoid Rafa Benitez

The Daily Record reported earlier this month that the former Real Madrid and Liverpool head coach is a firm target for the 49ers ahead of the summer.

Their reporter Scott Burns was quoted as saying: “I was told that Rafa Benitez was one they were going to talk to. I spoke to a colleague who is very close to Rafa Benitez and his agent and they had said there had been no contact at all.”

This suggests that their interest is at an early stage, as they have not made contact to discuss a potential move to Ibrox, and that is where the 49ers should leave it.

Excluding Super Cups or Charity Shields and second division titles, Benitez has not won a major trophy since he lifted the Italian Cup with Napoli at the end of the 2013/14 campaign.

As you can see in the table above, the Spaniard has not averaged more than 1.5 points per game at a club since his very brief spell with Real Madrid almost a decade ago.

He does not have much in the way of recent experience in managing a team that is expected to challenge for titles and trophies every season, which suggests that the former Newcastle man would not be the right fit for what Rangers should want out of a manager moving forward.

However, the Scottish giants could appoint a big upgrade on Rafa Benitez by swooping for another one of the 49ers’ reported managerial targets.

Rangers eyeing English manager

According to The Boot Room, the 49ers-backed consortium are interested in a deal to bring English head coach Steven Gerrard back to Ibrox ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

The report claims that the takeover is expected to be completed by the end of the current season, and that one of their first priorities will be appointing a new manager to lead the team going forward.

It states that Gerrard is one of the potential options to replace Ferguson in the dugout, although it remains to be seen how high up on their shortlist he is.

The 44-year-old tactician left Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq in January, after 18 months at the club, and that means that he is out of contract and available for the Gers to approach and appoint, without having to negotiate a deal with a team.

Rangers must, now, swoop to bring Gerrard, who left the club back in November 2021 to join Aston Villa, back to the club as he would get Ibrox rocking again.

Why Rangers should appoint Steven Gerrard

The out-of-work manager, who has typically deployed an attacking 4-3-3 formation in his career, would get Ibrox rocking because the fans in Glasgow already know that he has what it takes to get the better of Celtic.

Gerrard won the Scottish Premiership title in the 2020/21 campaign, showing that he knows what it takes to clinch the league title ahead of the Hoops, and the supporters could get excited by the prospect of him returning to have a second go at doing it.

It was the first time the club had won the top-flight title since 2011, an achievement that was hailed as “magnificent” by Sir Alex Ferguson, and the Gers have not won the division since then either – with Celtic on course for their fourth straight league title.

Rangers, of course, also went unbeaten that season – winning 32 and drawing six of their 38 matches – and Ibrox would be rocking at the prospect of even coming close to repeating that accomplishment, especially when you consider that the team has already lost six times in the league this season.

Gerrard managed 192 matches during his time in Glasgow and averaged an excellent 2.15 points per game, which is more than Benitez has managed in any of his last four jobs since his exit from Real Madrid at the start of 2016.

Given that the Englishman moved on from Ibrox in 2021, this also shows that the former Liverpool midfielder has more recent experience of winning trophies and being in charge of a team that is expected to win week-in-week-out.

That is why Gerrard would be a big upgrade on Benitez, who has averaged 1.48 points per game or less in each job since 2016, because he is used to winning, as well as having the relevant experience at Ibrox.

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Therefore, the 49ers-backed consortium must forget about a move for Rafa Benitez and, instead, move to bring Gerrard back for a second spell in the dugout at Ibrox next season, in the hope that he can recapture the magic of his first spell and get the supporters rocking in the stadium once again.