NIKO Kranjcar, the former Croatian internationalist who completed his move to Rangers yesterday, has admitted that he wants to help the Ibrox club become the dominant force in Scottish football in the coming season.
Kranjcar, who has signed a two year deal with the Ladbrokes Championship champions, has been playing for New York Cosmos in the second tier North American Soccer League in recent months.
READ MORE: Mark Warburton: Niko Kranjcar can be a star at Rangers
However, the 31-year-old attacking midfielder, who lists Portsmouth, Spurs, Dynamo Kiev and Queens Park Rangers among his former clubs, is confident he is still capable of playing at a high level.
The 81-times capped player believes he can help Rangers, who won promotion to the top flight last season after four years in the lower leagues, prise the Premiership from the grasp of Celtic in the 2016/17 campaign.
“The manager wants me to be committed to the cause - which is winning the league,” he said. “That was my first question to him. Is the goal to win the league? If you are signing for a club of the magnitude of Rangers then I think that has to be the goal. You have to try everything to achieve that goal.
READ MORE: Mark Warburton: Niko Kranjcar can be a star at Rangers
“The response from the manager was positive and from that moment on I knew I would be really happy with the opportunity to sign here. I wanted to have a good go at playing at the highest level again, winning games and winning trophies.”
Kranjcar added: “I don’t know Celtic. I haven’t watched them play this year or last year so I can’t really comment on them. But I know that, from talking to the manager and what I have seen since I have been there, that recruitment is going well.
“I am certain that we are in a great position to push Celtic all the way. Like I said, it is a goal for us. I think the experience that has come in is going to help as well.
READ MORE: Mark Warburton: Niko Kranjcar can be a star at Rangers
“I saw the highlights and heard about the great win in the semi-final of the cup. It gives you reason to believe that you can win it and I have no doubt about it. You play football to believe in yourself.
“I am not going to sit here and say ‘they are better than us’. They’re not. We are going to say ‘we’re the best team in this league’. That’s the way it has to be. The only thing left then is to prove it on the field.”
Kranjcar, who joins his former Queens Park Rangers team mates Joey Barton and Clint Hill at Rangers, revealed he only moved to New York Cosmos at the start of the year to maintain his fitness levels and had always intended to return to play in Europe this summer.
“When I terminated my contract in Kiev, it was towards the end of January,” he said. “I was also coming off the end of a winter break and hadn’t trained for two months.
READ MORE: Mark Warburton: Niko Kranjcar can be a star at Rangers
“Going to New York was a great opportunity for me to join a team that had just started its pre-season. My goal was to get fit, see how it would go in the States, but to use it while waiting for the summer window in Europe to open up.
“As I said, I didn’t think I would have done myself justice had a gone to a European team after leaving Kiev, especially as the club seasons were shorter because of the Euros. I wanted to get really fit and back into the rhythm of playing games. I achieved that by going to Cosmos.”
He added: “I love the game. I love playing football. It is still something that makes me happy and also frustrates me as well, because you want to be the best you can be. I am delighted and thankful for the opportunity I have at the moment. It is a privilege and an honour to be part of the Glasgow Rangers team.
“But I have said before that it is also a big responsibility. Once you sign for a club that has so many fans you absolutely have to dedicate every bit of yourself to being the best you can and to achieving things with the club.
“It was a decision about my football ambitions to win things, win trophies and play at the highest level. I am sure I can achieve that here. When I heard about Rangers, that was the most attractive one. There were contacts from England, but nothing concrete.
“It’s about competing at the highest levels and I believe Rangers deserves to be competing at the highest levels. I also believe I am still young enough to compete at the highest level. It is a lot of hard work and dedication that you have to put in to do that.”
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