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TRANSFERS
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Rangers agree deal to sign ex-Man Utd midfielder who 'LOVES' Russell Martin
Tom Weber
- Updated: 1 Jul 2025 16:41 BST
- 5 min read
News
Rangers have agreed a deal with Bournemouth to sign midfielder Joe Rothwell.
Backed by new ownership and with a new head coach at the helm, the Ibrox club are showing major ambition in the transfer market this summer as they gear up for a vital Champions League qualification clash with Panathinaikos this month.
Two weeks ago, new boss Russell Martin announced that 'a few' new players would be signed before the tie with the Greek giants, and Rangers' recruitment department is certainly obliging.
Current ETV
Joe Rothwell
M, DM (C)
B'mouth
Joe Rothwell
M, DM (C)
B'mouth
ETV Range
€1.2M - €1.8M
21-year-old winger Oscar Cortes has joined in a €5.25 million deal from RC Lens, while Max Aarons has arrived from Bournemouth on loan. The latter is now set to be reunited with a former teammate in Glasgow.
According to Sky Sports, Rangers have struck a deal with the Cherries to also sign midfielder Joe Rothwell, who is coming off a successful loan spell at Leeds.
Rangers agree Rothwell deal
The Scottish giants are set to sign the 30-year-old for an undisclosed fee as Rothwell is still under contract at Bournemouth for another year. The Man Utd academy graduate made 39 appearances for Leeds across all competitions last season as they won the Championship.
He chipped in with four assists, but he operates primarily as a deep-lying midfielder. Last term's promotion to the Premier League was Rothwell's second in as many years as he had also helped Southampton return to the top flight the season prior after joining on loan in January 2024.
Rothwell is therefore a familiar face to Martin, who was in charge of the Saints when they beat Leeds in the play-off final at Wembley last year. Indeed, the midfielder previously waxed lyrical about the 39-year-old.
“I loved Russell, still love him to this day, and still speak to him," he told the More Than A Match podcast in April. "I remember a knock at the door [the night before the playoff final] and an envelope slipped under.
“He put a note through the door. He’d handwritten letters and posted them under everyone’s door the night before the final. It was basically just thanking everyone and saying what we meant to him and the team, and what we’d done.
“I’d never heard of that before. There probably are examples of it, but I hadn’t heard of it before, and it typified the type of guy he is - he was all about the players who loved playing for him.
“He brought the whole club together, and every member of staff spoke so highly of him. Before I went to Southampton, I was buzzing because I’d seen their style of play, and it’s how I want to play.”
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