The new Rangers era, following the takeover by the 49ers Enterprises and Andrew Cavenagh, has gotten off to the worst start possible, one that not even their most pessimistic fans would have predicted. After the first five league games, they are still searching for their first win with four draws and one loss. As a result, they are already trailing Celtic by nine points. In the Champions League qualifiers, they were handed a 9-1 aggregate defeat by Club Brugge.
In the process, questions have been raised about Russell Martin's future at Ibrox. When was the last time the Rangers brought in a new manager in the summer and sacked him by September?
There have been conflicting reports in the media about Martin's position at the club. Some claim that the board are still behind him. Others suggest that alternatives are already being sounded out and the Rangers are putting plans in place for the worst-case scenario.
Amid all this, an Italian manager has once again been linked with the Ibrox job. And it is a rumour that Celtic fans will be quite happy with.
Celtic fans will love latest news about Rangers' next manager
As reported by the Daily Record, Davide Ancelotti is back on the Rangers manager radar. In the scenario Martin is sacked, the 49ers will go back to the drawing board with a number of options they previously considered, one of which is the Italian. It is being reported in South America that his job at Botafogo is 'hanging by a thread.'
Ancelotti was heavily linked with the Rangers job in the summer. But ultimately, he ended up joining Botafogo while his father became Brazil national team manager.
Things have not gone well at Botafogo so far though. And less than three months after his appointment, Ancelotti's position is up in the air. That is the manager whom the Rangers could potentially look to bring in to stop Celtic from winning 5IAR.