Rangers blow as soon-to-be academy director Jonathan Hunter-Barrett will now remain at Wolves | OneFootball

Rangers have been dealt a blow as Jonathan Hunter-Barrett has opted to remain with Wolverhampton Wanderers instead of moving to Ibrox next month.

They had reached an agreement for Hunter-Barrett to become their new academy director, and he was due to join them in January.

However, Wolves are set to appoint him as their new academy director, according to the Telegraph journalist John Percy.

It was reported in October that Hunter-Barrett would be leaving Wolves after almost 15 years to reunite him with then Rangers sporting director Kevin Thelwell.

They worked together at the Premier League club, but Thelwell was fired last week alongside chief executive Patrick Stewart.

Rangers have not had a permanent academy director since Zeb Jacobs left in June 2024, with professional development phase manager David McCallum currently overseeing the role on an interim basis.

Chairman Andrew Cavenagh is leading the search for a new technical director and chief executive, and whoever succeeds Thelwell will likely be tasked with finding their new academy director.

Rangers chief financial officer James Taylor has reportedly emerged as a serious contender to become the new chief executive, but a final decision is yet to be made.

They have to get things right in their search for a new chief executive and sporting director, as manager Danny Rohl needs all the help he can get.

They could do with some quality additions to their squad during the winter transfer window, given their current struggles.

Rangers are nine points behind Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts with a game in hand and have yet to win a game in the Europa League after five matches.