9 hours ago
3
Steven Gerrard had three main reasons for declining the offer from Rangers in the club's quest for a new manager.
The championship-winning Ibrox boss was the top choice for American owners Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises to replace Russell Martin. The Liverpool and Premier League legend was also the fans' preferred choice for a comeback, but after two days of discussions in London, Gerrard withdrew his candidacy.
Now, former Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl and Shanghai Port's Kevin Muscat are the frontrunners for the available position. However, the reasons behind Gerrard's decision to decline the opportunity to return to Glasgow have now come to light.
Gerrard ultimately felt the timing wasn't right - a factor in the decision-making process for the ex-Aston Villa and Al-Ettifaq manager.
TalkSPORT has since noted that Gerrard had "some reservations" about "working under the current Rangers sporting structure" following face-to-face discussions - a structure overseen by sporting director Kevin Thelwell.
This decision is not said to be a "personal" issue with Thelwell, who joined from Everton in the summer, but rather due to Gerrard's desire for "more autonomy," similar to his first stint in the Ibrox dugout.
It was also mentioned that Gerrard was wary about the challenge of turning Rangers' fortunes around mid-season.
The club is currently struggling in eighth place in the Scottish Premiership, and the incoming manager will face significant pressure to turn around a disappointing campaign.
Gerrard reportedly "wants to bide his time" and "would be more inclined to take a job over a summer when he's got a full season ahead of him."
His decision apparently "caught some within Rangers' senior hierarchy by surprise," sending them back to "square one" in their quest to find a replacement for Martin before the league resumes after the international break.
Gerrard is best known for his time at Liverpool, where he played more than 700 first-team games and won countless trophies, including the 2005 Champions League.
After a brief spell in the United States with LA Galaxy, Gerrard stepped into management with Rangers, winning the Scottish Premiership in 2021 to end Celtic's dominance in the league.
He joined Aston Villa in November 2021 and, despite a brief upturn in results, ultimately failed to get the best out of his squad and was replaced by Unai Emery within a year.
He then spent around 18 months in charge of Saudi club El-Ettifaq, but left at the beginning of 2025.
English (US) ·