Filip Helander has joined Steven Gerrard’s Ibrox club Glasgow Rangers and is looking forward to facing Neil Lennon’s Celtic.
Ibrox Stadium of Rangers
Helander has joined Rangers from Italian club Bologna in the summer transfer window for a fee reported by The Scottish Sun to be worth £3.5 million.
The 26-year-old Sweden international central defender has arrived at Ibrox with a strong reputation, and he has suggested that playing in the Old Firm derby games against Celtic is one of the reasons he decided to make the switch to the Gers this summer.
Helander told RangersTV, as transcribed by The Daily Record: “As a Swede growing up in the 90s and Noughties, I obviously saw Henrik Larsson a bit so I was watching the Old Firm.
“I knew Rangers were a big club and I saw them in European tournaments. I can’t wait (to face Celtic). That was also one of the reasons I wanted to get here to play in Europe.”
Title challenge
Rangers have been quite busy in the summer transfer window so far, and it is clear that manager Gerrard is building a team who can challenge bitter Old Firm rivals Celtic for the Scottish Premiership title next season.
The Gers finished second in the league table last season and gave the Hoops a run for their money during the first half of the campaign.
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