Joe Rothwell thankful for chance to finally join Rangers

Joe Rothwell is hoping to make the most of his chance at Rangers second time around, having previously turned down the chance to head to Ibrox.

After spending last season on loan at Leeds, helping the Yorkshire club win promotion back to the Premier League, midfielder Rothwell, 30, completed a permanent transfer from Bournemouth, where he still had a year to run on his deal.

Rothwell – who has signed a three-year contract – will link up again with new Gers manager Russell Martin, having played on loan for him at Southampton in the successful 2023-24 campaign, which ended with victory in the Sky Bet Championship play-off final at Wembley.

Former Manchester United trainee Rothwell revealed there was a possibility he could have joined Rangers when he was leaving Blackburn in the summer of 2022, before instead opting to sign for the Cherries.

“It probably took a little bit longer than I would have would have liked it to, but I am delighted it is finally done and I can’t wait to get going now,” Rothwell told a press conference.

“Just before I signed for Bournemouth, it was kind of a toss-up between the two (with Rangers).

“I decided to go to Bournemouth at the time, but I am thankful that the offer came back around this time and I jumped straight at it.”

Rothwell added: “I think selfishly I always had in my head, once when I left United as a kid, my plan was always to try and get back and play in the Premier League.

“So they (Bournemouth) gave me the opportunity to do that and it was something that I couldn’t turn down at the time.”

Having taken up a new challenge in Scotland, Rothwell feels Rangers – who have also brought in right-back Max Aarons on loan from Bournemouth, midfielder Lyall Cameron and defender Emmanuel Fernandez – can move forward under Martin.

“The manager was obviously a big factor in me coming here,” Rothwell said.

“He sees the game how I would see it if I was a manager, that was the main pull, but it is more about how he is as a guy.

“You want to come and work for him. The manager treats everyone the same – there is no-one better than anyone else.

“He is really good at bringing clubs back together and creating a fantastic bond.”

Rothwell added: “If you want to win things, it starts off the pitch, so if he can get everyone buying into the same thing here, I think he can create a really successful time at Rangers.

“You can see from the outside how huge this club is – it is built to win trophies.

“Hopefully, if the manager implements how he wants to do things, it can be really successful and we can go on and win things.”