Glasgow Rangers may have a brand-new head coach in the building by the time they next take to the field at Ibrox in the Scottish Premiership after the international break.
The Light Blues opted to remove their previous manager from his post after a draw last time out in the league meant that he had only won one of his seven Premiership matches in charge.
Russell Martin only won five of his 17 games as the club’s manager, as shown in the graphic above, and the Ibrox giants are now looking to find his replacement.
The latest on the Rangers manager search at Ibrox
The Light Blues are aiming to bring in a replacement ahead of their clash with Dundee United at Ibrox after the break, and they appear to be closing in on their man.
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According to journalist Ben Jacobs, Rangers are ‘close’ to reaching an agreement with out-of-work head coach Steven Gerrard to make him Martin’s replacement.
The reporter claims that the English tactician, who left Rangers to join Aston Villa back in 2021, held face-to-face talks with Light Blues chairman Andrew Cavanagh and vice-chairman Paraag Marathe in London earlier this week.
Those conversations went well and the Liverpool legend seems to be closing in on a return for a second spell in the dugout at Ibrox this season.
This change in manager in Glasgow could have ramifications throughout the squad, as it is a clean slate for all the players, and the rarely-seen Clinton Nsiala may end up being the biggest winner.
Why Clinton Nsiala may be Ibrox's biggest Rangers winner
The left-footed central defender was bombed out of the squad by Martin this season and has not played a single minute of competitive football since the 2024/25 campaign.
Nsiala, whose last appearance came against St Mirren in April, posted an Instagram story of himself celebrating and smiling after a goal for the club at Ibrox after the news broke that Martin had been sacked. Possibly a coincidence and unrelated.
The 21-year-old starlet, who joined from AC Milan last year, made 11 appearances in the Premiership during the 2024/25 campaign and showed some signs of promise.
Appearances (starts)
11 (10)
Pass accuracy
89%
Ground duel success rate
45%
Aerial duel success rate
52%
Ball recoveries per game
2.1
Clearances per game
4.5
Duels won per game
2.6
As you can see in the table above, Nsiala got a taste of Premiership action last season and had positive and negative aspects to his performances, winning the majority of his aerial duels, but being a bit too weak in his battles on the deck.
At the age of 21, the French gem, who was described as an “exciting talent” by Nils Koppen, has plenty of time left to develop and improve as a player, but Martin was not willing to provide him with chances to gain experience this season.
That is despite Jayden Meghoma, a left-back, and Derek Cornelius, a centre-back, being the only two left-footed defenders in the senior squad at this moment in time.
Martin lined up with Cornelius out of position at left-back and the right-footed John Souttar as a left-sided centre-back in the 1-1 draw with Falkirk last time out in the Premiership, which speaks to the issues that the Gers have had on that side of the defence.
Nsiala, therefore, may end up being the biggest winner from the change in management at Ibrox because Martin, clearly, was not keen on him, but Gerrard may see the lack of naturally left-footed options at the back and provide the youngster with an opportunity.
Gerrard, after all, was the manager who signed Calvin Bassey and gave him his Gers debut as a young and versatile left-footed defender, which may give Nsiala hope that he could follow in the Nigeria international’s footsteps.
It will now be interesting to see what kind of decisions the new manager makes, if it does end up being Gerrard, with the current squad once he is in the building at Ibrox.
