Kevin Thelwell gets ruthless with Rangers stars as sporting director sees no limit to Ibrox exits

Yahoo

13-06-2025

Kevin Thelwell says he won't shy away from making ruthless decisions on Rangers players' futures.
The Ibrox club's new sporting director has already started work, along with new boss Russell Martin, on overhauling the squad.
Advertisement
And Thelwell insists they're ready to make big calls to make Rangers stronger - and ensure they hit the ground running ahead in the new campaign.
READ MORE: The Rangers cull starts now as just four stars sealed off for Russell Martin and the rest face oblivion
READ MORE: Rangers will never suffer Crystal Palace UEFA sweat as SFA chief makes dual ownership rules clear
The pair have already targeted certain players, including the likes of Leicester City defender Conor Coady and Israeli striker Dor Turgeman.
But there is still uncertainty over a number of current stars who under-performed at Ibrox last term.
Advertisement
Thelwell says they'll be decisive in rebuilding a squad so that it's capable of immediately challenging for trophies this season.
When asked if there could be as many as 12 players leaving and the same amount coming in, he said: ' I probably wouldn't want to put a number on it at the moment.
'Clearly, there's been work being done behind the scenes already.
'We've been evaluating and reviewing the current group that we've got.
'There are some very good players here at Rangers. But with every football club, there's room for improvement, isn't there?
'We want to go into the transfer market and find opportunities that help the team be better and stronger.
Advertisement
'Now that Russell is here as head coach, we've got a chance to sit down very quickly and talk more about what the group looks like and what we need to do going forward.
'We have to make some hard, fast decisions and then hopefully start to quickly build a team that helps us to win.'
Nico Raskin has been tipped for the very top by his Rangers pal
Rangers might have to field bids for some of their sellable assets this summer, with the likes of Nico Raskin, Mohamed Diomande and Hamza Igamane linked with moves away from Ibrox.
Thelwell admits there will be changes to the squad but is adamant that he and Martin want to come out of the summer window with a stronger pool of players than they've got now.
Advertisement
The former Everton sporting director said: 'From my perspective, we want the strongest team possible.
'We all understand there's going to be some players coming in and others who will leave.
'That has to be part of any plan, effectively. But in reality, where we want to be is making sure that by the time the transfer window closes - the team looks stronger for the work we've done during that trading period.
'That's what we'll be working on.'