KIERAN DOWELL has expressed his delight at joining Rangers as he put pen to paper on a three-year deal at Ibrox to officially join the club on July 1.
The midfielder will make the move from Norwich City on a pre-contract agreement as he becomes the third signing of the Michael Beale era and the first of the summer transfer window.
Speaking exclusively to RangersTV after making the switch to the Light Blues, Dowell was over the moon to get the deal done so early and get his future settled to play in Scottish football next season.
He said: “I am buzzing, obviously I am really glad to get it done early and towards the end of the season, I spoke with the manager a few months before the season ended, I am so glad to get it done so early.
“Obviously it is the first time I have sort of been out of contract anywhere, letting my contract run down at Norwich City, you want to be sorted to go back into pre-season and just have a proper pre-season with the lads and get to know everyone before the season starts.”
The 25-year-old feels he is joining a ‘special’ club having been shown a glimpse of the stadium and Training Centre yesterday morning and believes there are several positive factors that convinced him that he was making the right move in his career.
He continued: “I know a lot of Rangers fans and a lot of Scottish lads from previous clubs, they just speak so highly of the club, the intensity and the pressure of it, which I guess is a really good pressure, you are expected to win every game and obviously the European games, there is so many positives that really convinced me to come here.
“It is class, really nice, obviously the historic which we had little look around yesterday morning in the trophy room and stuff like that, I haven't seen anything like that at another club, you can already see it is such a special club.
The Everton academy graduate says conversations with manager Michael Beale and several of his new teammates played a major part in swapping the Championship for the Scottish Premiership ahead of the new season.
He added: “He [Beale] was massive, obviously speaking with him so early it showed how much he wanted to get the ball rolling with it, I met him a couple of months ago and not knowing too much about Scottish football he just sold it to me completely, how he wants to play and how I am going to fit into the team, it was a no-brainer in the end really.
“Everyone that I have spoken to about the manager has only said kind and highly thought of words of him, and I can say the same for myself so far from speaking to him, he is a top manager and I am looking forward to improving under him.
“I know Todd Cantwell who has come here, and he had been there two or three months once I spoke to him about it and he was raving it about it already, he has hit the ground running here and done really well so far. I know John Lundstram from my time at Everton and Sheffield United as well, and he was the same spoke really highly of it, and obviously how well he has done here too, and Tom Lawrence also who hasn't played as much this season but he recommended that it would be a great move for me.”
Dowell said he is ready to experience the different kind of pressure that comes with playing for a club with the magnitude of Rangers and wants the team to hit the ground running in pre-season and when the Champions League qualifiers get underway.
He said: “It is a new pressure and a different kind of pressure and one I haven't experienced before, I think it is definitely welcomed, the thought of you are expected to win every game of the season. It is a different kind of pressure but I love football myself and that is what the fans here are like, they literally live and breathe it, it is going to be fun.
“That is what the manager was saying as well, you have got to hit the ground running, the qualifiers are early on in the season so it is important that we get some good results in those games.