Russell Martin was well below his best during 17 games on loan at Rangers and the former Norwich City captain is now at Walsall.
Russell Martin arrived at Rangers on loan from Norwich in January, with the hope that the experienced Scotland international would add leadership and reliability to an erratic defence.
But Martin did not exactly shore up Rangers’ leaky back line. The Glasgow giants conceded 27 goals in the 17 games that Martin played, including 4-0 and 5-0 thrashings against Celtic and a bizarre 5-5 draw with Hibernian.
It was little surprise when Rangers made no attempt to sign Martin permanently at the end of his loan spell. And, after three months as a free agent, the 32-year-old was forced to drop down to the third tier of English football with Walsall thanks in part to a lack of alternatives.
However, the early signs suggest that Martin has made a better first impression at Walsall than he did at Ibrox.
“Russ brings so much experience to that squad that is what we’ve been crying out for,” Saddlers teammate Morgan Terrier told the Express and Star of Martin, who made his debut in Saturday’s 3-2 win against Wycombe.
“We need someone who has been there and seen it because we have got quite a young team. I feel like in games you can see sometimes we need an older head, someone with a bit of experience to help us over the line.
“I feel that Russ will bring that on and off the pitch. It’s brilliant to have him.”
Rangers overhauled their defence in the summer, bringing in youngsters Nikola Katic and Joe Worrall as well as paying £3 million to sign Connor Goldson from Brighton and Hove Albion.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
