65-goal Rangers hero tipped for Ibrox role as former managerial target sacked after 163-day stint
The former Rangers captain is reportedly being lined up for a return to Ibrox.
Rangers are hoping to entice former club captain Lee McCulloch into returning to Ibrox this summer as they look to remould their recruitment team.
Having appointed former Liverpool and Blackburn Rovers defender Stig Inge Bjornebye as a football consultant and advisor until the end of the season on Wednesday, they now hope to entice 47-year-old McCulloch away from his role as talent acquisition manager with Premier League club Brighton, according to a report from Alan Nixon.
The 18-cap former Scotland midfielder spent eight seasons with Glasgow giants, and played a pivotal role in the club’s run to the UEFA Cup final in 2008, alongside winning three Scottish Premiership titles, three Scottish League Cups, and two Scottish Cups, before leaving to join Kilmarnock in 2015.
Taking over the head coach role at Kilmarnock following a successful spell in interim charge, the former Light Blues skipper was sacked at Rugby Park in 2017 and went on to become assistant manager of Polish club Lechia Gdansk. He went on to serve as assistant manager to Robbie Neilson at both Dundee United and Hearts, but hasn’t been involved in coaching since departing Tynecastle in April 2023 alongside Neilson. He would link up with Brighton shortly afterwards.
Credited with a role in the signings of Carlos Baleba, Joao Pedro, and former Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley during his time on the south coast, Rangers are now said to have targeted him for an emotional return to the club as they begin to rebuild their recruitment team following the exit of sporting director Kevin Thelwell in November.
Meanwhile, former Rangers managerial target Davide Ancelotti has been dismissed as head coach of Botafogo after just 162 days in the role. The ex-Real Madrid assistant had talks with the Ibrox board in the summer, with a view to replacing Philippe Clement as the club’s manager, but lost out to Russell Martin in the race to be named as the club’s new boss.
The highly-rated coach had spent several years working under his father, Carlo, as his assistant, but opted to go in search of his first managerial role when the legendary Italian boss agreed to become Brazil’s head coach in the summer. The 36-year-old agreed a deal until December 2026 with the Brazilian top-flight club shortly afterwards, but has struggled to impress at the Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos, and was sacked on Tuesday with the club in sixth place in the Brazilian Serie A.
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