Russell Martin, when arriving at the airport for his Rangers medical, shared why he was so keen to join the club despite interest from teams in the English Championship.
The Norwich City defender flew into Glasgow on Tuesday morning for his medical with the Gers, as the deal for him to join the club on loan until the end of the season gets nearer to completion.
The 32-year-old centre-back stopped and spoke to media at the airport, to explain what made him want to join the Light Blues.
“I’m absolutely delighted to be here,” revealed Martin, as quoted by The Scottish Sun.
“There’s still a bit to do but let’s get it done today, as you can see from this big suitcase I’m expecting to stay for a while!
“There’s been interest from a lot of clubs (Championship) down in England.
“But as soon as I knew Rangers were interested a couple of weeks ago I said to my agent from the off this was the one I wanted.”
The defender went on to compliment the club’s stature, facilities, stadium and fan base as he shared it was pretty “obvious” while the club was attractive to him.
Martin went on to share that he was keen to get back to playing regular football, as the 32-year-old has found his playing time limited at Norwich.
The centre-back has made only seven appearances for Norwich’s first-team across all competitions this season.
Martin also revealed that his international ambitions regarding Scotland, played a part in his move to Rangers.
“Another one of the attractions is getting back into the Scotland jersey,” the defender confessed.
“I played for a long time but unfortunately I’ve not been in the team for the last few games.”
The 32-year-old has 29 caps for Scotland but hasn’t played for them since March.
OPINION
Martin is an impressing signing, who sounds like he’s joining Rangers for all the right reasons. Although the deal isn’t complete, with the defender set to have his medical and talking so fondly about the club; it shouldn’t be too long before he gets his move. The veteran defender will bring experience to Gers’ back-line for the second-half of the season, and could be a potential leader at the club. Martin is known to be a calm presence, due to him not liking to dive into tackles, and could help improve those around him. Light Blues’ supporters are no doubt boosted not just by his arrival, but by the fact he turned down clubs in the Championship to a secure move. This action shows that he has good intentions in regards to Rangers.