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DAVIDE ANCELOTTI AND RUSSELL MARTIN APPEAR TO BE THE FINAL TWO IN THE RUNNING FOR THE IBROX VACANCY 22:30, 28 May 2025Updated 19:38, 29 May 2025 Dave King has urged Andrew Cavenagh to
reconsider Steven Gerrard for an Ibrox return - insisting the former gaffer is Rangers’ safest bet as boss. The Liverpool icon looked to be leading the race to replace Philippe Clement in
the Gers dugout but _RECORD SPORT_ understands he has now been overtaken by Davide Ancelotti. The recently-departed Real Madrid assistant was in London last week to hold fresh talks with
Gers chiefs and the 35-year-old Italian is increasingly confident he will become just the 20th man to manage the Light Blues. But former chairman King admits he’d be stunned if the club’s
in-coming US owners haven’t made a pitch to bring Gerrard back to Glasgow - insisting he’s the perfect choice to lead the American revolution being planned by Cavenagh and the San Francisco
49ers. King was the man who lured the ex-England skipper to Ibrox in 2018. Article continues below Gerrard, then a managerial rookie, repaid that show of faith by leading Gers to the
Premiership title three years later. But he quit six months later to take over at Aston Villa - a decision King reckons Gerrard still regrets. Now with Cavenagh and co preparing to make
their final call, King has told the consortium to take another look at the former gaffer who he insists would jump at a return to Scotland. The South Africa-based tycoon said: “I'd be
very surprised if they haven't spoken to him because Steven is the obvious choice. “I think I know him well enough to fairly accurately state it would be unfinished business for him.
“Steven left at a time he didn't want to leave. That's a fact. And the team was still top of the league at the time that he left. “He wanted to defend that title. I think he would
have defended the title had he stayed. “So from Steven's personal point of view and where he is at the moment, I think he'd love nothing more than to come back to the club and take
on the challenge of restoring it. “And it's not just about one title because the project that we hope we're starting now is a project to make Rangers the dominant number one team
in Scotland. “It's not about winning another league title. It's about really putting Rangers back at the top. “This is a project. It's not a one-off. And I think Steven would
be perfect for that. “So I'd be very surprised if they haven't spoken to Steven because he's by far the least risky candidate to give new money to, by far the least risky
candidate.” Gerrard has had his troubles since departing Ibrox. He was sacked by Villa after less than a year in charge, while a move to Saudi Arabia with Al Ettifaq also ended in
disappointment. The 44-year-old has been out of work since January, with rumoured tax issues suggested to be behind his ongoing hiatus. And King said: “With Steven there's other things
that have to be negotiated. “I think he's having his first granddaughter, but Glasgow's not that far from Liverpool. “If he was in Dubai, I think that would be different. “He still
has his contract [with Al Ettifaq], so I think there will still be issues to deal with. “I don't know what the situation was when he left Saudi. “But I think by far the least risky
option is bringing Steven in if they could get that across the line. “And I think they'd be pushing at an open door if they were able to get the financial side sorted. “It's not
about money. “Steven has never been a guy that's coming in and saying, ‘I want to be paid the same as Guardiola’. “In my experience of Steven it's always been, ‘does he like the
project?’ “He came to Rangers for the project. “I think we were actually paying him less than he was earning at BT as a commentator. “But he came for the project and I think Rangers at the
moment there's going to be a strong, stable fund, they won't throw the money away.” Monday will mark 100 days since Clement’s sacking and yet Rangers have still to confirm his
permanent appointment. But King has no doubt the Light Blues remain a job top bosses will fancy. He said: “It’s almost 100 days since the previous manager departed but it's not really
100 days of looking for his replacement. Article continues below “I actually think this is a plumb job for a manager to come in at this stage. “They know who they've got in charge. They
know who's behind it. They can look at what was done at Leeds. They can look at the commitment that they made to back themselves up. “They can look at the quality of the people behind
it. And if I was a manager looking at a job right now, I would think Rangers would be a very, very attractive proposition.”