Kevin Thelwell admits he ‘underestimated the size’ of Rangers and reveals reality behind Youssef Chermiti deal
The sporting director and Ibrox decision-makers are in the firing line amid a poor campaign
08:00, 22 Oct 2025
It was almost a bit unfair on Danny Rohl.
The German had rocked into Ibrox for his first full day of duty suited and booted – but if he was expecting to be centre stage at his grand unveiling then he probably soon realised he had become a bit of a sideshow.
It was about the American, the Scot and the Englishman who flanked the new head coach. And no this is not the start of some lame joke.
Owner Andrew Cavenagh, chief executive Patrick Stewart and sporting director Kevin Thelwell were in full glare of the media for the first time since the Russell Martin debacle came to such an unpleasant end.
And there was no way they were about to play second fiddle.
Questions over the managerial hunt saga, the decision to employ Thelwell’s son as head of recruitment, the £8m splashed on Youssef Chermitti and the general disaster of a start to the season flew at the hierarchy from all angles.
Among it all there was an admission from Thelwell that he had underestimated the size of the club before taking over.
Rangers Sporting Director Kevin Thelwell as Danny Rohl is unveiled(Image: SNS Group)
He said: “I don’t think we ever under-rated Scottish football. What I think I did underestimate was the size of this football club.
“If I was going to take anything going forward from the last four months is understand that greatness and make sure we apply that to an even greater level to anything we do.”
Perhaps it’s not a good start then to conduct an extended hunt for a head of recruitment – and land at your own front door. Almost literally.
The decision to hand the sporting director’s son Robbie, 26, such a key role has only amplified the fury and distrust headed Thelwell and Stewart’s way from a throughly brassed off support.
He admitted: “Optically, we all agreed when we made this step to appoint Robbie that he was going to be seen in a particular way.
“But the reality of the situation is that we want to bring the very best talent here to Rangers Football Club.
“Robbie didn’t need my help in football.
“He worked at Aston Villa as a senior scout. He then moved to Norwich City as head of scouting, and then got promoted to player pathways manager.
“And before we recruited him, two Premier League clubs wanted to take him. Dan Purdy, who’s the technical director who he will work for, wanted to take him to Everton Football Club.
“When I was there, I told him that that shouldn’t be the case and I didn’t think he was ready.
“But when the situation came around again and Dan wanted to take him again, it was very difficult to say no.
“Robbie probably went through a more rigorous process than probably anybody else who’s employed by this football club, truth be known. He will work 25-8 for the club.”
It’s not the first move that has thrust Thelwell’s decision-making into the spotlight. Splashing £8m on a 21-year-old striker who hasn’t found the net in senior football for two-and-a-half years was equally controversial.
But the sporting director said: “Youssef has been a top talent for a number of years. You will know my history with Youssef.
“I signed him at Everton and he had some Premier League experience there. I can understand why some fans would say, ‘Well, come on, he hasn’t got the resume yet that shows he is going to be capable of doing X, Y and Z for our team or being sold for this number or that number’.
“But in reality, if he had even a small resume he wouldn’t, with some of the qualities that he’s got, be coming to Rangers.
Danny Rohl is unveiled as the new Head Coach of Rangers Football Club alongside Chairman Andrew Cavenagh, Chief Executive Patrick Stewart and Sporting Director Kevin Thelwell
“In the open market, a player like him who has proved he has the ability score goals, and that is what he will eventually be judged on, will be transferred for a number that we just couldn’t afford.
“Sometimes you have to take a player that you think is at the start of their journey, grow and develop them and then make that step for us and help us to win going forwards.
“Physically, he is a top, top performer. We think in due course in a particular style of play it will help him score goals and hopefully you will see the best of him.”
Cavenagh added: “In today’s football economy, the value of a player isn’t directly tied any more, in the way it used to be, to their production on the pitch.
“People spend more on nines than on any other position. He is largely physical and in those positions they are 20, 30, 50, 90 million pounds.
“We don’t look at Youssef and say he has to be the best player on the pitch. He is the most valuable because he has the potential to be a great player.”
It’s a player trading model that’s not for everyone although whether the recruitment structure is what ultimately put Gerrard and Muscat off remains a point of conjecture.
According to Cavenagh the former Ibrox boss and midfielder were just two names on a shortlist of FIVE alongside Rohl.
He said: “We spoke to the two that you mentioned and to a number of others that you never heard about.
“From the club’s perspective we have to treat this process with absolute confidentiality, or other coaches won’t want to engage with us in the future.
“I said to our group how happy I was that we had five candidates who I was extremely comfortable would be great coaches for Rangers.
“We didn’t rank people one two and three.
“We had 10 days at that point to get a coach into the building and so we pursued all five simultaneously.
“We are experienced in these searches to know not to put all our eggs in one basket.”
That has ultimately led to this week’s appointment of Rohl who is charged with salvaging a wreck of a season.
And Cavenagh said: “We have dug ourselves a hole in the league, a smaller hole in the Europa.
“We have the same exact view as Danny – it is just one game at a time.
“If we can quickly tighten up the defence, if we can be a little bit more aggressive with the ball, if we can score more goals. We have got everything in front of us.”
New Rangers head coach Danny Rohl and chairman Andrew Cavenagh
Rohl’s arrival has hardly met with universal approval from a support who view the 36-year-old – who has only previously managed 89 games in a 22-month spell in Sheffield – a bit too similarly to much-maligned Martin in terms of risky appointments.
However his experience working as an assistant to Hansi Flick with the German national team and Bayern Munich is what stood out, according to Thelwell.
And he added: “Everybody is going to talk about the comparisons between Danny and Russell, they both have beards and dark hair. They are both a similar age.
“But in reality they are different people. They have different philosophies and thoughts about how the game is played.
“Our mandate hasn’t changed. We want a coach that dominates football games, in possession and out of possession and then those bits in between.
“We want to press, counter press, we want possession but not possession for possession’s sake.
“We want to be more progression than possession,. That’s not changed from the conference when I sat here and we introduced Russell.
“We didn’t get there with Russell. That didn’t work out. Danny is a very different coach when you looks at his background and experience, his upbringing.
“There are some clear differences. And he has worked at the very highest level with the German national team, with Bayern Munich, his managerial experience has been short – but in a short period of time he has proven very capable.
“And we feel after spending quite a lot of time with him that he has all the credentials to give what we need and give the fan base what they need – a winning team that will win in a particular way.”
