New Rangers sporting director Kevin Thelwell hopes for manager appointment 'in coming days'

New Rangers sporting director Kevin Thelwell says the appointment of a new head coach is his top priority and he hopes to confirm a deal in “the coming days”.

Thelwell, formerly director of football at Everton, officially started in his new role on Monday, days after the US takeover of Rangers was confirmed.

The 51-year-old said he was aiming to move things forward quickly at the club, and that appointing a permanent successor to Philippe Clement was top of his to-do list.

“It’s a great honour to be joining Rangers, particularly at such an exciting moment in the club’s history,” Thelwell told Rangers’ official website.

“While there has been significant work going on in the background prior to my arrival, that naturally accelerates from today, and top of the priority list will be the appointment of a new Head Coach for our men’s first team.

“That search has been progressing well, and the club and I look forward to bringing that to a conclusion in the coming days.

“This is a new chapter for Rangers, and while we recognise success won’t come easy, our goal is clear: we need to win.

“My focus is on delivering that, with discipline and ambition. We’ll give everything to move this club forward as quickly and sustainably as we can.”

The Ibrox club also confirmed that Nils Koppen will leave his job as technical director after a handover period, with former Everton recruitment head Dan Purdy appointed as his replacement.

Thelwell’s first day on the job also saw him appointed to two key SFA and SPFL committees. The sporting director will sit on the Compensation Tribunal Working Group, as well as the SPFL Competitions Working Group, which is responsible for reviewing the competitive structure of the league and League Cup.