Portuguese football expert Silvio Vieira believes Rangers have bought themselves a “true leader” in Bruno Alves, but declared his surprise at the deal.
Rangers unveiled the signing of the 34-year-old defender on a two-year deal on their official club website on Wednesday, where he became Pedro Caixinha’s first signing as manager at Ibrox.
The centre-back, who was part of the Portugal side that won Eur0 2016 last summer, brings vast experience to the Scottish club, and expert Vieira reckons he is a born-winner and club captain material.
He told the Scottish Sun: “Rangers fans can expect a leader, a true leader. We are talking about a tough, fit player. If you watch Bruno Alves, you wouldn’t say he’s 35.
“We are talking about someone who is used to winning. He’s a player who seeks the cohesion and spirit of the team.
“Also you are not talking about just a top, world-class football player. You are talking about a guy that may be captain of Rangers in a short period of time.”
However, Vieira, who works for Radio Renascenca in Porto, admits he was surprised to see Alves moved to Rangers instead of one of Europe’s other top leagues.
He believes that despite his advancing years, Alves could have returned to his homeland to do a job for either Porto or Benfica, a mid-table club in La Liga, or joined a title-contender in France’s Ligue 1.
Alves arrives at Rangers following a one-year spell at Italian Serie A outfit Cagliari, where he made 37 appearances in all competitions.
However, has also represented a number of top European clubs including Porto, Fenerbahce and Zenit St Petersburg, contributing to a decorated CV.
But Rangers fans can expect much more to come from Rangers and Caixinha in the transfer window this summer, which is not due to open until July 1.
Caixinha inherited a below-par squad from his predecessor Mark Warburton in March, and has had to wait until this summer to put his own stamp on the first-team setup.