Meet Davide Ancelotti's potential Rangers assistant who's a ‘major Real Madrid influence' & son of successful coach

Scottish Sun

13-05-2025

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DAVID ANCELOTTI has emerged as a serious contender to become the next Rangers manager.
While the 35-year old himself is a rather unknown quantity to many, what about the man he could take to Ibrox as his assistant?
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Francesco Mauri has become a key figure under Carlo Ancelotti
Credit: Reuters
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Mauri and Davide Ancelotti (second from left) have been part of Carlo's team for many years
Credit: Bongarts - Getty
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Mauri's dad Giovanni is also a long-serving Carlo Ancelotti lieutenant
Credit: Getty
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Davide Ancelotti is a leading contender to be the new Gers manager
Credit: Getty
Ancelotti, son of iconic manager Carlo, dramatically entered the conversation last night.
Reports from Italy and Spain even went as far of suggesting he was on the brink of taking over as Rangers boss.
He's worked alongside his legendary father at PSG, Bayern Munich, Napoli, Everton and Real Madrid across the past decade and beyond.
Ancelotti Sr will leave Real at the end of the season to take over the Brazil national team but Ancelotti Jr looks set to break out and become a manager in his own right for the first time.
He'd previously been linked to the Leeds job before Daniel Farke's position was confirmed as secure, while he was also seen as a contender to take over at Serie A side Como.
However, despite strong links to Bayer Leverkusen, Cesc Fabregas will be staying at Como.
Spanish outlet AS was first to claim that Ancelotti Jr was 'close' to the Rangers job.
They also say that going with him as his assistant will be Francesco Mauri.
Like Davide Ancelotti, Mauri is a young coach at 36 years of age.
He's been a key lieutenant of Carlo Ancelotti since joining him at PSG way back in 2012.
Carlo Ancelotti shows his disappointment as Real Madrid crashes out of Champions League to Arsenal
Having been a fitness coach during Ancelotti Sr's previous spell at Real Madrid, he performed the same role at Bayern Munich.
Mauri began to take on more influence at Napoli and in recent years has become Real's set-piece specialist.
His expertise on set-pieces was seen as a crucial factor to Real Madrid regaining the La Liga title last season.
AS previously analysed Mauri's impact in depth and noted that at every set-piece situation, it was he and not Carlo Ancelotti who "could be seen pulling the strings from the visitors' dugout."
His touchline demeanour has seen him compared to a conductor on occasions.
It was noted that Mauri had become a "major influence" in the first team set-up.
He was praised for the corner routine that saw Dani Carvajal head Real in front in their Champions League Final victory over Borussia Dortmund a year ago.
Mauri's coaching journey is very much similar to Davide Ancelotti, in the sense that they both started as fitness coaches under Carlo in 2012.
They both progressed at a similar pace, joining Carlo at every club across the past 13 years.
Another similarity is that Mauri's father is also a highly respected football coach.
Unlike Carlo Ancelotti, Giovanni Mauri never became a manager but was a key right hand man for the legendary Italian for many, many years.
Mauri Sr worked as a fitness coach at Parma, AC Milan, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.
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His last role alongside the Italian came at Bayern between 2016 and 2017.
Jude Bellingham also praised Mauri's input in a memorable Federico Valverde goal in a win over Villarreal last year.
From a free-kick, Luka Modric sent the ball into what appeared to be the path of Bellingham to take a shot, but he instead side-stepped it and Valverde struck the ball into the net.
England ace Bellingham revealed that despite how it might have looked, it certainly wasn't anything off the cuff and was something that had been practised in training under Mauri.
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