Who Will Be The Next Rangers Manager? Why Davide Ancelotti Might Be The Ideal Appointment

With current interim manager Barry Ferguson basically confirming he will not continue as Rangers boss next season, despite strong interest in doing so, it got us thinking who would be the right man to takeover at Ibrox and help them challenge Celtic once more as Scotland’s best team.

Recent reports have revealed that their new American owners seem to be keen in bringing in Carlo Ancelotti’s son, Davide. The following piece explains why Davide Ancelotti might be the right man to take Rangers forward, reflecting on this past season and looking into the future.

🚨🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Rangers have made contact with Davide Ancelotti as candidate for new head coach job, as @diarioas reports; he’s not the only one on the shortlist.

More candidates have been approached by the Scottish club.

Davide Ancelotti leaves Real Madrid as Xabi brings his own staff. pic.twitter.com/QDmNinWPIC

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 12, 2025

Domestic Troubles, Continental Success

Firstly, we take a look at Rangers’ past season, and how they have found themselves in the position to be looking into a new manager in the first place. Rangers started the season poorly, being eliminated from the Champions League qualifiers to Dynamo Kyiv, dropping to the Europa League phase and losing 3-0 in the first Old Firm of the campaign.

Rangers seemed to be very strong at home, not losing once at the Ibrox before 2025, however, it was their away form which was letting them down, as they sat on 36 points from a possible 54, dropping 16 in away games. This allowed Celtic to breach the gap, already gaining a 14-point lead by January. It was this form, followed by a penalties defeat to Celtic in the Scottish League Cup final, as well as an early exit from the Scottish Cup, following a 1-0 home defeat by second division side Queen’s Park, that saw Belgian boss Philippe Clement sacked after 16 months in the dugout.

A FAMOUS NIGHT FOR RANGERS AT IBROX 💙

The Scottish side book their place in the Europa League quarter-finals after downing Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce on penalties 🙌

📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/INXDXExkEU

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) March 13, 2025

The Gers then brought in Rangers club legend, Barry Ferguson to take interim charge until the end of the season. It was a very inconsistent start for the Scotsman, as his side pretty much conceded the league after they lost their second home game in a row, this time to Motherwell, before defeating Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce 3-2 on penalties after drawing 3-3 on aggregate. They then beat Celtic in the third Old Firm of the season, now winning two of the three played so far, before losing in the Europa League quarter finals to Athletic Bilbao.

🗣️ “This club means a lot to me, I know the expectations”
🗣️ “Everybody will be clear on what way the club is going forward”

Barry Ferguson discusses the future at Rangers with two games left of their season ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/Nko1izSzDQ

— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) May 11, 2025

Despite their elimination, Ferguson said in a post-match interview that he would be keen on taking the role from next season, however, three games on, he admitted that he would not be in charge of them next season. This then sparked rumours of Davide Ancelotti taking charge, following his father’s acceptance of the role as Brazil head coach and uncertainty if Davide would follow.

Who Is Davide Ancelotti?

As aforementioned, Davide is the son of Carlo Ancelotti. Davide has never actually held a managerial role before, however, does reportedly get very involved with his father and does not take a back seat in making decisions. He had his playing career cut short, retiring in 2009, however he received his UEFA A licence in 2016, then went on to become an assistant coach to his father ever since. He has been all around Europe with Carlo, being an assistant at Bayern Munich, Napoli, Everton, and Real Madrid.

Due to Carlo’s suspension, he has managed a match once before and it did not go to plan. He lost 2-1 away to Roma. He gained his UEFA Pro Licence in 2023 allowing him to stand a game in Spain if he needed to. He knows how to speak English too, so would be absolutely fine communicating with the Rangers squad. Through these stints around Europe, he would have gained lots of experience, especially on Europe’s biggest stage. Through being the understudy of his father, he has won three league titles and two UEFA Champions League titles and has been described as his father’s “secret weapon”, reflecting his promise of being a manager.

Could Davide Be The Man To Take Rangers Forward?

Appointing someone like Davide would bring a breath of fresh air to the Ibrox. The only issue with appointing him might be experience as a full-time manager, since he will not be able to bounce ideas off his father and it would put him in a role where he gets to decide everything himself- whether that be tactical changes or changes in personnel, which would be a step into the unknown. He may require time in order to get his thoughts and structures across to his team.

🇮🇹🧠 Carlo Ancelotti's son and assistant, Davide, is ready to start his own solo managerial career. 🔜

Davide Ancelotti rejected many offers in the past. Now he's looking for a project where he will be given time for his first managerial job, reports @relevo. pic.twitter.com/VkJ9JT91I7

— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) April 24, 2025

Another major factor on his potential appointment is patience. As mentioned, it might take time to integrate his systems and tactics, and as a young boss who has never left his father’s side in coaching since 2016, he will need to get used to being on his own and independently making decisions. He has, however, assisted his father in charge of some of Europe’s biggest names, so Ancelotti will not be too risk-averse and will try everything possible to win trophies and bring success to Rangers.

So, how I see it, it depends what the owners want. If they want immediate success, then taking on Ancelotti may be a big risk. However, if the owners and fans have patience, Davide can definitely be an immense success at Ibrox. He may need time to implement systems and strategies, as well as delving into the market to buy players who fit his system but if given the time, he will make help Rangers topple Celtic once more and reclaim the Scottish throne.