Guillem Balague: Davide Ancelotti is one of the world's most sought-after coaches

STV News

13-05-2025

Davide Ancelotti, the Real Madrid assistant who is under consideration as next Rangers manager, is one of the most sought-after assistants in world football, according to European football expert Guillem Balague.
News emerged on Monday that Ancelotti, the son of outgoing Real Madrid manager and five-times Champions League winner Carlo Ancelotti, is one of the names being considered by the American consortium who are expected to complete a takeover at Ibrox next month.
The 35-year-old has built up a wealth of coaching experience working alongside his dad for almost a decade, and is ready to take on a team of his own.
There has been no shortage of offers, according to Balague, who has followed his career closely so far, but the Italian is determined to be careful and pick the right club to launch his managerial career.
Whoever persuades Ancelotti to sign on the dotted line will be landing a coach who has plenty of admirers and is expected to go far in the game.
'I would say he is one of the best coveted or most sought after assistants in the world to be converted into a number one,' Balague told STV.
'Because, of course, having been with Carlo Ancelotti as his assistant in different levels at Bayern Munich first, Napoli, Everton and Real Madrid, he's got a lot of experience. But what has happened, especially in the last two years at Real Madrid, is that he's actually become what you can say is a first team head coach, while Carlo Ancelotti was the manager.
'So Carlo chose the starting eleven. He basically tried to balance the egos and didn't fully work this season. But Davide was the one put in the work every day.' SNS Group Davide Ancelotti has worked alongside dad Carlo at top clubs across Europe.
Balague says Ancelotti Jnr was the man who took care of 'the individual work, of the collective work or the tactics and so on', while his father looked at the bigger picture and man-management, and his work didn't go unnoticed. That has led to offers already, and Rangers are only one of a number of teams across the continent who have their eye on him.
'Last summer, Sevilla approached him and he felt it wasn't the right time,' Balague explained. 'Also, Brazil approached both Carlo and Davide and they both said, 'No, it just doesn't feel right', having won everything with Real Madrid.
'What I know for sure is that as it stands right now, despite all the offers that Davide's getting, his first choice at the moment, unless something nice, as he says, comes out and convinces him otherwise, he will join Carlo Ancelotti with Brazil. So that's as it stands from this moment.
'I'm pretty sure that if somebody convinces Davide, with Como or Rangers or any of the other offers he's got, he's mostly attracted about going to the Premier League. He even considered six months back the Championship. But the kind of offers that he's getting at the moment means that he actually wants a first division side.
'If that happens, then I think and say goodbye to Carlo. He's ready to be number one. So you're getting, teams that are in Serie A, that are in La Liga, and, you know, the Rangers interest is obvious.'
The Spanish journalist said that those around the coach say that he will need to be convinced that it's the right project and challenge, even if they are 'really good offers from really good teams'.
While the possibility remains that Davide will remain in Brazil with Carlo, any team that does manager to persuade him to strike out on his own will be getting someone who is ready to take on new responsibility.
'Davide knows football, understands football, explains it very well,' Balague said. 'He knows his role in the coaching staff that he's had from being the third assistant or the fourth assistant to Bayern Munich, to actually be the head coach with Real Madrid, which tells you that this is not just the son having the luck on his side but somebody that knows what he's doing.
'I've spoken to him a couple of times with him and he's been very, very respectful. Sometimes you get in the biggest clubs, a different kind of attitude, but in the case of Davide, he's humble and liked by everyone at the club. And as I said, very ready.
'He's been ready now for months to jump as a number one.
'He certainly feels that, that he's gathered since 2016. enough information, experiences, mistakes, things that he's changed in the way that Carlo Ancelotti was working.
That suggests that he can actually now go into the next thing.'
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