Rangers sign ‘huge asset’ Rothwell from Bournemouth

Midfielder Joe Rothwell has joined Rangers from Bournemouth on a three-year contract.

The Manchester-born 30-year-old was on loan to Leeds United from the Cherries last season, making 39 appearances, 27 of them starts, as they won the Championship and promotion.

It was a repeat of his feat the previous season under Rangers head coach Russell Martin on loan to Southampton.

“Excited” by the signing, Martin told Rangers’ website: “He is a player who we thoroughly enjoyed working with during my time at Southampton.

A “delighted” Rothwell says there were two main factors that persuaded him to end his three-year spell with his Premier League parent club.

“It is brilliant,” he said. “The size of the club speaks for itself and, as soon as the interest was there, it was an immediate yes from me.

“With Russell coming in too, it made that decision a little bit easier because working with him in the past and I know what type of guy he is and how he wants to do things. That was an even bigger pull for me. “

Rothwell came through Manchester United’s youth ranks and, after loan spells with Blackpool and Barnsley, joined Oxford United.

He moved on to Blackburn Rovers and then, in 2022, to Bournemouth and has made 351 club appearances overall in his career, scoring 24 goals.

Rothwell follows right-back Max Aarons to Ibrox from Bournemouth, the 25-year-old having joined on a season-long loan, while 22-year-old fellow midfielder Lyall Cameron was a free agent arrival from Dundee.