Glasgow Rangers should be in the market to find a manager who can bring success and trophies back to Ibrox ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.
The board decided to part ways with Philippe Clement earlier this year, and they brought in Barry Ferguson to Rangers as the interim head coach until the end of the season.
Whilst the former Scotland international has not completely disgraced himself in the job, the Ibrox outfit’s form since Ferguson took the reins does not suggest that he is a serious contender for the full-time gig.
Rangers have won four, drawn four, and lost four of his 12 matches in charge, and are currently on a run of six matches without a win after their 1-1 draw with Celtic.
This does not suggest that Ferguson is the man to turn Rangers into a winning machine that can wrestle back the Scottish Premiership title from Celtic next season.
Another manager who is not likely to be in the dugout at Ibrox next season is former Gers title-winner Steven Gerrard, as he has been ruled out in a new report.
The latest on Steven Gerrard to Rangers
According to TEAMtalk, the Liverpool legend will not be the next Rangers manager to come in and take over from Ferguson at the end of this season.
The report claims that the 49ers, who are set to make their first appointment once a takeover is finalised, want a new head coach who has no prior connections to Ibrox.
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It states that the prospective owners want to gradually build a winning team in Glasgow and they want to start by appointing a fresh face, with no pre-existing relationships at Rangers, who has a philosophy and a style of play that can be built around for years to come.
Gerrard, of course, does not fit what they want because he has already managed the Light Blues successfully in his first spell at Ibrox before his move to Aston Villa in 2021.
Matches
38
12
Wins
32
8
Draws
6
3
Defeats
0
1
Points
102
27
Points per game
2.68
2.25
League position
1st
1st
As you can see in the table above, the English boss only lost one of his last 50 league matches in charge of the club, going unbeaten in the 2020/21 campaign.
The 49ers, however, have decided that they do not want to retread that path, which means that Gerrard will not be returning to Scottish football this summer, at least not with Rangers.
It is now down to the club to find an alternative manager who can be as successful as the English tactician was during his time at Ibrox, and they could do that by hiring Bodo/Glimt head coach Kjetil Knutsen.
TEAMtalk’s report adds that the Gers have been linked with the Norwegian boss in the past and that he should be the kind of manager that they target this summer.
The outlet also reveals that this year could be the year that Knutsen finally moves on from Bodo/Glimt, having been linked with other clubs for several years, going back as far as 2021 when he was linked to Premier League side Norwich City.
Rangers must, now, tempt the 56-year-old head coach to come to Ibrox ahead of the 2025/26 campaign, because he could be a dream alternative to Gerrard for the 49ers.
Why Knutsen is a dream alternative to Gerrard for Rangers
The former Liverpool midfielder and Rangers manager was an appealing option to the Light Blues because he has been there and done it; he has won the Premiership.
Knutsen, however, is a head coach who knows how to win league titles, having won even more than Gerrard, and has had success in Europe for Bodo/Glimt, as shown by the impressive fact below.
The Norwegian boss’ side are currently 3-1 down on aggregate against Tottenham Hotspur in the semi-finals of the Europa League, and still have a chance to make the final in their second leg clash on Thursday night.
This suggests that he has the tactical nous and playing style to be effective in Europe, whilst also having already proven his ability to set up a team to win league titles consistently.
2025
2.50
1st
2024
2.07
1st (champions)
2023
2.33
1st (champions)
2022
2.00
2nd
2021
2.10
1st (champions)
2020
2.70
1st (champions)
As you can see in the table above, Bodo/Glimt have won the Eliteserien in four of the last five seasons, and are currently top of the table after four matches in the 2025 campaign, averaging at least two points per match in all of those years.
This shows that Knutsen can build a team that can consistently challenge for titles and dominate a league, which is the ambition that Rangers should have, after watching their rivals lift the Premiership title in each of the last four seasons.
As well as being a great candidate because of his team’s trophies and progression in Europe, he could also be a great alternative to Gerrard because of his style of play. Bodo/Glimt captain Ulrik Saltnes described Knutsen’s playing style as “kamikaze” and Transfermarkt notes that he plays an attacking 4-3-3 formation.
Bodo/Glimt scored 71 goals and 78 goals in 30 league matches in the 2024 and 2023 campaigns, which shows how exciting that ‘kamikaze’ style can be as his team can score plenty of goals on their way to winning trophies.
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Therefore, Knutsen could be the dream alternative to Gerrard for the 49ers because he has the style of play, the trophies, and the European success to suggest that he could be an excellent appointment. It is now down to the club to convince the Bodo/Glimt boss that a move to Rangers is the best next step in his coaching career.