Chance to play European football was 'massive' for Rothwell joining Rangers

Joe Rothwell says the chance to play European football was “massive” for him when the opportunity to join Rangers came around.

The 30-year-old midfielder completed his move from English Premier League side Bournemouth earlier this week and has quickly set his sights on qualifying for the Champions League and winning trophies at Ibrox.

Getting to work with Russell Martin again was also a major pull in moving to Glasgow and he believes the manager’s style of play could be a perfect fit for the club.

Rothwell, who spent last season on loan at Leeds and helped them win the English Championship title, came close to joining Rangers in 2022, but the lure of the Premier League was too strong.

So, when the chance came round again, he jumped at it without hesitation.

Speaking to the media on Friday, he said: “I’m delighted it’s finally done, and can’t wait to get going now.

“Just before I signed for Bournemouth, it was a toss-up between the two. Obviously, I decided to go to Bournemouth at the time, but I was thankful that the offer came back around, and I jumped straight at it.

“As soon as I found out that Russell Martin was getting the job, he gave me a phone call and that was it.

“I think he sees the game the same way as I would like to play if I was a manager, so that was the main pull, but it was more about how he is as a guy that you want to play for him, not just about how he is on the pitch.

“As a kid you dream of playing European football, and we have a massive game coming up in a couple of weeks time, so that is our main focus at the minute.

“If we can get through that, then as I say, the chance to play European football is massive.

“From the outside, you can see how huge this club is. It’s built to win trophies, and hopefully, we can come in here, and if the manager can implement how he wants to do things, then we can be really successful and go on and win things.”