Another Australian coach appears set to land a big job in Europe, with Kevin Muscat emerging as the front-runner to become the new manager of Scottish giants Rangers.
Multiple reports from Scotland and China, where Muscat is based – as well as a source contacted by this masthead – say the former Socceroos and A-League legend is in negotiations to replace Russell Martin at the helm of the Glasgow club.
Anthony Albanese with former Socceroo and Shanghai Port FC manager Kevin Muscat during a recent trip to China.Credit: Dominic Lorrimer
The 52-year-old is on course to win the Chinese Super League for the second successive year after steering Shanghai Port to a record-breaking title in his first season as coach in 2024.
That achievement made him just the second Australian, after Ange Postecoglou, to lift silverware as a coach in three different countries.
Muscat has been identified as the primary candidate for the Rangers job after other contenders, including former manager Steven Gerrard and Sheffield Wednesday’s German coach Danny Röhl, dropped out of the race, while Chinese media claims Shanghai Port is already working to find a replacement for him.
As a player, Muscat was part of the Rangers squad that won the domestic treble in Scotland in the 2002-03 season. He was first mentioned as a possible coaching target as long ago as 2017, when he was still in charge of Melbourne Victory, the club he also captained to A-League grand final wins in 2007 and 2009.
Kevin Muscat has won titles in three different countries.Credit: Getty Images/Instagram
Muscat became Victory boss after working as an assistant under Postecoglou, who vacated the position to take charge of the Socceroos in 2013 and ensured Muscat would be installed as his successor – an experience Muscat has described as fundamental to his progression as a coach and the formation of his tactical ideals.
He followed in Postecoglou’s footsteps a second time in mid-2021, replacing him as coach of Japanese club Yokohama F. Marinos. He won the J.League title in 2022 and finished second in his other full season in charge.
