Rangers have officially appointed Kevin Thelwell as the club’s Sporting Director in the first major milestone of the 49ers Enterprises era.
An American consortium headed by the 49ers and Andrew Cavenagh have agreed to purchase 51% of Rangers and will take the reins at Ibrox ahead of the new season.
As part of that, appointing a new Sporting Director, or Director of Football, had become a major objective for Rangers ahead of the new season in Glasgow.
A wide-ranging internal review from Sportsology had recommended a Sporting Director very early on in the process, even before news of the Rangers takeover broke.
It’s been widely reported that Thelwell would be moving to Rangers at the end of his contract at Ibrox with the deal now official.
Patrick Stewart reacts to Rangers appointment of Kevin Thelwell
Ranger CEO Patrick Stewart has labelled Thelwell as the ‘outstanding candidate’ after the Everton Sporting Director was appointed at Ibrox.
Whilst the 51-year-old will not officially take the reins at Ibrox until after his contract at Goodison Park expires in the summer, it’s a deal which has clearly excited Stewart.
Rangers fans will be very impressed by Stewart’s reaction to the appointment, with the ex-Manchester United chief having plenty of experience at the top level himself.
Speaking to the official Rangers website after the deal was announced, Stewart said: “I am delighted to be welcoming Kevin to the club following a rigorous recruitment process.
“Our Football Review quickly identified the need to appoint a Sporting Director, and in Kevin, we have found an outstanding candidate with terrific experience in the Premier League and the MLS.
“It will be the role of Kevin, with the full support of myself and the board to lead our football department and deliver the results our supporters expect and deserve.”
Kevin Thelwell on ‘huge honour’ of being named Rangers Sporting Director
Kevin Thelwell has also been speaking after being appointed as Rangers Sporting Director and admits it’s a ‘huge honour’ to take up the role.
The former Wolves and New York Red Bulls chief has also been clear that he understands winning is the ‘bottom line’ at Ibrox as he prepares to overhaul the Rangers squad.
With Thelwell set to move up north come the end of the season, the Everton chief admits he’s counting down the seconds until he arrives in Glasgow.
“This is a huge honour for me to be joining a club with the size, stature and expectations of Rangers,” Thelwell said.
“From the first conversations, it was clear to me how ambitious the club is, and I’m excited to play a part in shaping its next chapter.
“I know how much Rangers means to so many people, and that brings both responsibility and motivation. Rangers needs to win. That’s the bottom line. There’s a strong foundation already in place, and I look forward to working closely with the teams across the men’s, women’s and academy programmes to build something that delivers consistently.
“Of course, there’s important work ahead, especially in men’s first-team structure but we’ll approach it with energy and purpose. While change takes time, I’m confident that we can make real progress. I can’t wait to get started.”
