The new arrival was speaking to the media from Rangers' training camp in Germany. Here's everything he had to say.
What was the main appeal of joining Rangers?
That goes without saying, the history is known. The stadium, fans and city are amazing but of course, I spoke with the manager. There’s a new wind in the club now and I want to be a part of that.
Can you replace Alfredo Morelos?
Alfredo did amazing things for Rangers and at Ibrox. It’s never easy to come after a good striker but I can’t look at the past. I’m only here for the present and future so I hope that I can do some nice things for Rangers and build a similar relationship with the fans. That will depend on our relationship and the things that I do on the pitch but I’m confident that can work.
Last season was a big disappointment, do you believe you have the characteristics to embrace this new challenge?
I’m at a good age. 28 is the perfect age when you are physically still at the top level and you’ve gained experience from the past years. It’s the perfect time to play for trophies and hopefully, win some trophies. The mentality of Rangers is clearly present in this team and I want to be a part of that. I think I can bring some things, not only football-wise but also mentality wise into the dressing room.
Neil Lennon revealed Celtic’s previous interest, did you know that at the time?
No, I didn’t know about that. I spoke a couple of times with Rangers in the past years and the contact has also been close. So I’m happy to finally be here now and it was possible to make the deal and arrive here. If you score goals then you will probably be on some clubs’ radars.
What about previous interest from Rangers?
I don’t know how much I can say as it’s pretty private. The first contact was after I became the top scorer in the Eredivisie during Covid so it was a difficult time for a lot of clubs to make deals. After that, the contact was always there and although it wasn’t always in terms of an offer, there were some casual conversations.
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What else can you bring aside from goals?
I don’t have a target regarding goals, I have targets regarding team achievements but of course, I can offer more than goals. I think I’ve shown that in the last years. I can be important off the ball, in pressing the other team and receiving balls high up the pitch and relaunching the attack. When we have the ball I can do multiple things, play with the back to goal, short combinations, I can go deep but I think I’m best when facing the goal. These are some attributes that can benefit the team.
What other interest did you have and what attracted you to Rangers?
It’s not easy to just name the clubs who were interested, I don’t think they’d be happy! I had some options to stay in Italy, or Belgium and the Netherlands. Rangers are massive and I like what is happening here, the group of players here already and the manager who has a really good idea of what he wants on and off the pitch is fundamental for me. That’s why I made the choice. I looked at the training ground, the stadium, how the club wants to work which is very professional and that’s something I was looking for, then it was a pretty easy choice actually.
How important was the chance to win trophies?
I’ve won the cup in Belgium but of course, I want more and that’s one of the reasons I wanted to come to Rangers. We won’t get anything for free but that’s a nice challenge. I want to win trophies with the boys and I think this is an amazing club to be at, especially if you can win that will be something you’ll never forget.
How was your time in Italy?
Yeah, it made me a better player. I’ve been dreaming about playing in a top-five league since I was a kid actually, to finally be there and witness it was amazing. I learnt a lot and when you play against some of the best defenders in the world you learn how to use your body, play smarter, faster. On top of my other experiences, it made me a more complete football player and I hope I can convert and show that in the Scottish League.
Do you prefer to play on your own or with a partner?
I’m flexible, it’s more than just playing with a partner football is more complicated than that. It is so fluid now you don’t really work with formations, it’s more about principles. What’s clear with us is we have a lot of good players who can play around the strikers, I’m speaking about midfielders, wingers, second strikers. I think I can work with all of them, they’re quality players. Then it’s a lot easier to find each other and adapt. With any of the names, I could click very well.
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