Key Rangers takeover figure Gretar Steinsson will do things the club has been 'crying out for', according to Barry Nicholson.
Nicholson was a coach at Fleetwood Town when Steinsson was technical director at Highbury Stadium, and he reckons he could be a transformative figure at Ibrox.
The ex-Iceland right-back has been regularly pictured alongside Andrew Cavanagh at Rangers matches as 49ers Enterprises look to take a major stake in the club.
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"One thing about Gretar is, he wouldn’t be fazed going in to work at a club like Rangers," said Nicholson [Record], who made 10 senior appearances in royal blue.
"I think he was like that as well as a player, tough and uncompromising.
"I actually remember playing against him down here when he was at Bolton. At Fleetwood, he wasn’t shy of making big decisions.
"He’d go into Rangers with big ideas, and I don’t think he’ll be frightened to rock the boat a bit. He won’t be scared of making big calls.
"I imagine that he’ll be good at presenting in front of people with his ideas and vision. That’s what owners want, especially the Americans."
Steinsson transformed Fleetwood's academy during his time at the club, eventually helping them to develop talents and sell them for substantial sums.
Nicholson thinks he could do the same in Govan: "At Fleetwood, there was a big push for academy players to play in the first team," he said.
"A few of them have gone on to do well. James Hill was sold to Bournemouth for £1m.
“Josh Feeney went to Aston Villa, and Jay Matete went to Sunderland. So in the last few years, Fleetwood have seen the fruits of it and made a bit of money from transfers.
"If Gretar is going to have anything to do with that side of things at Rangers, that will be his aim."
Steinsson was appointed technical director of the 49ers Enterprises' football branch in November. Assuming their proposed takeover of Rangers goes through, he could play a pivotal role at Ibrox.
"Since Fleetwood, he has been employed by some massive clubs and held important positions," said Nicholson.
"And it sounds like the consortium who are looking to take over Rangers have identified him as the guy to lead the football side of things.
"He’d be someone who would certainly go in with big plans. And I think Rangers have been crying out for that."