SWEDEN international Filip Helander insisted it was an easy decision for him to move to Rangers after agreeing a four-year deal with the Ibrox club.
The £3.5m fee is the biggest paid out by Rangers since they spent £4m on Nikica Jelavic some nine years ago and it makes him the seventh signing of the summer so far.
The 26-year-old defender arrives in Glasgow with a more than decent pedigree having spent the last four seasons at Serie A outfits Verona and Bologna.
Steven Gerrard, the Rangers manager now as four centre-halves at the club, summer signing George Edmundson, Nikola Katic and Connor Goldson. However, it is understood that Helander will be the team’s No.1 centre-half, a position which did cause problems last season.
And while he is still waiting for international clearance for the deal to go through, Helander was unveiled on Saturday afternoon at Ibrox.
🆕 @RangersTV subscribers can now watch an exclusive first interview with new signing Filip Helander.
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) 14 July 2019
📺 Watch here: https://t.co/TxwedtdSze
🔐 Subscribe to RangersTV: https://t.co/t1IRcqTluP pic.twitter.com/GVrjzurCn1
READ MORE: Graeme Macpherson: Does Filip Helander mark return of big spending at Rangers or a desperate gamble?
Speaking to the club website, Helander said: "I am delighted to be joining Rangers, it’s a special club with tremendous fans and a unique history.
“The opportunity to work with a manager like Steven Gerrard was an easy decision to make.
“I’ve come here to battle for every point and to win trophies and I’m looking forward to meeting my teammates and getting started.”
Helander has become a regular with his international side over the past four years. He started his career with Malmo, his hometown club, where he won every domestic honour.
He then moved to Italy at 22 when he joined Verona. After a season in which he made 26 appearances and scored twice, the six-foot four centre-back switched to Bologna on loan, and then joined them on a permanent deal in 2015 for a fee of £1.8m
Helander played for Sweden in last summer's World Cup in Russia and has established himself as one of the first-choice picks.
This afternoon’s friendly against Marseilles at Ibrox, which kicks off at 3pm, will come too soon for the Swede, as will Thursday’s second-leg Europa League qualifier with St Joseph’s of Gibraltar.
Marseille arrive in Scotland on the back of a 2-1 defeat against Accrington Stanley of England’s third tier.
READ MORE: Olivier Ntcham is in for a dose of the Sunday night fear as Neil Lennon awaits his Celtic return
Their new coach, Andres Villa Boas, will bring a young team to Ibrox because of financial restraints at the one-time European champions.
“The Rangers match gives us another chance to progress physically and tactically,” said Villa Boas. “I think everyone knows the situation we are in, so the young players are going to play a lot this year. There is money to spend but the club are reducing the payroll.”
Meanwhile, a young Rangers team, including James McPake and Glen Middleton, beat Crusaders of Belfast 5-1 in a testimonial match. The highlight was a goal by highly rated 15-year-old striker Arron Lyall, Middleton, McPake, Andy Dallas and Serge Atakayi got the others.
But Rangers supporters might wonder what if when one of their former wonderkids, Billy Gilmour, was singled out for praise by new Chelsea manager Frank Lampard.
The London club ran out 4-0 winners against St Patrick's Athletic in Dublin and the 18-year-old did enough in just 45 minutes to impress his new boss and more than hint he is on the verge of making his first-team debut.
Lampard said: “Billy Gilmour has had a brilliant trip. As a young lad, the personality he has shown on this trip to play two games at the level he has played them is great. I just hope Billy pushes on with that this season."
Gilmour moved to Chelsea in 2017 after the two clubs agreed a fee of around £500k for the-then 16-year-old.
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