Alex McLeish claims Rangers have made an ‘absolutely excellent’ signing in Russell Martin

Follow us on Google Discover

Rangers have brought in four new signings to Ibrox this month.

Former Rangers boss Alex McLeish has told The Scottish Herald that he thinks Russell Martin will prove to be an ‘absolutely excellent addition’ to the Gers squad.

After being handed the reins at Ibrox until the end of the season, Graeme Murty – who was initially brought in as caretaker following Pedro Caixinha’s exit – has set about boosting his Rangers squad this month.

Rangers have now brought in four signings this month, landing Russell Martin, Sean Goss, Jamie Murphy and Jason Cummings on loan from Norwich City, QPR, Brighton and Nottingham Forest respectively.

All four players figure to feature prominently between now and the end of the season, and it signals something of a change in transfer strategy compared to the days under Caixinha.

Caixinha mostly utilised two markets he knew well; his homeland of Portugal was tapped into in order to land Bruno Alves, Fabio Cardoso and Dalcio, whilst Mexico – where he managed Santos Laguna and now managed Cruz Azul – was also utilised to bring in Carlos Pena and Eduardo Herrera.

None of those signings can really be considered successes, leading fans and pundits to urge the club to go back to bringing in British players, preferably Scottish with a track record in Scottish football.

Murphy and Cummings certainly fit that bill, but former Rangers boss Alex McLeish has highlighted another signing as his top deal of January so far.

McLeish has told The Scottish Herald that he thinks defender Martin is an ‘absolutely excellent addition’ for Rangers, backing the Scottish international to bring leadership to Ibrox and provide a huge boost to the dressing room.

“It’s about mentality, it’s about leadership,” said McLeish. “Russell Martin is a superb individual and a brilliant professional, and he will bring a huge amount to that dressing room. When I was toiling a wee bit at Motherwell and we were losing goals, I brought in a really experienced defender from England in Rob Newman.”

“He was at the end of his career, and was kind of top heavy with skinny legs, but what a reader of the game he was, and what a difference he made. For me, Russell Martin will be an absolutely excellent addition to the Rangers squad, without a doubt,” he added.