Ally McCoist has admitted that he’d ‘love’ to see Gennaro Gattuso replace Steven Gerrard as Rangers manager, while speaking to talkSPORT (12 November, 9.50am) after the former Ibrox boss departed for the Premier League and Aston Villa.
Is a cycle coming to an end at Rangers?
By the time July 2022 rolls around, Scott Arfield, Connor Goldson, Steven Davis, Allan McGregor and Leon Balogun will all be out of contract.
The long-term futures of Alfredo Morelos, Ryan Kent, Joe Aribo, Ryan Jack and Filip Helander (contracted until 2023) are uncertain too.
With Rangers posting substantial losses recently – following a summer in which they did not spend a single penny on new signings – you could understand why Gerrard felt that he was peering through a glass ceiling stronger than the windows on the Burj Khalifa.
Could Gennaro Gattuso replace Steven Gerrard as Rangers manager?
Replacing a man who guided Rangers to their first Premiership title in a decade – winning 32 and losing none of their 38 games along the way – will be easier said than done, even if McCoist believes strong candidates are hardly in short supply.
“There’s a lot of good coaches and managers out there. Dean Smith, (Giovanni) Van Bronckhorst, you’ve got Derek McInnes, who’s proven himself at Aberdeen and knows the league very, very well,” said the Ibrox legend.
“There’s no shortage of candidates. One thing I wouldn’t want to see is for Rangers to rush in and get someone and regret it six or eight months down the line.”
When asked to name his top choice for the now-vacant Ibrox post, McCoist suggested that a Gers cult hero – and someone who already has AC Milan and Napoli on his managerial CV – is someone worth considering.
“It’s a tough one. (John) Terry is in the running. Another one I wouldn’t be averse to is Rino Gattuso,” said McCoist, who played alongside the Italian in the late-90s.
“He knows the club very well, he’s fiery character – I’d love to see the wee man back. He could officially cause a fight in an empty house that fella! He was brilliant.”
Gattuso was in talks over a move to Tottenham Hotspur prior to the appointment of Nuno Espirito Santo and has also been linked with Newcastle United.
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