Joe Rothwell thankful for chance to finally join Rangers
Rothwell – who has signed a three-year contract – will link up again with new Gers manager Russell Martin, having played on loan for him at Southampton in the successful 2023-24 campaign, which ended with victory in the Sky Bet Championship play-off final at Wembley.
👊 Getting straight to work
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) July 3, 2025
Former Manchester United trainee Rothwell revealed there was a possibility he could have joined Rangers when he was leaving Blackburn in the summer of 2022, before instead opting to sign for the Cherries.
'It probably took a little bit longer than I would have would have liked it to, but I am delighted it is finally done and I can't wait to get going now,' Rothwell told a press conference.
'Just before I signed for Bournemouth, it was kind of a toss-up between the two (with Rangers).
'I decided to go to Bournemouth at the time, but I am thankful that the offer came back around this time and I jumped straight at it.'
We can confirm that Joe Rothwell has joined Rangers on a permanent transfer.
We'd like to thank Joe for his efforts at #afcb 👊 pic.twitter.com/iB7haGXX3H
— AFC Bournemouth 🍒 (@afcbournemouth) July 2, 2025
Rothwell added: 'I think selfishly I always had in my head, once when I left United as a kid, my plan was always to try and get back and play in the Premier League.
'So they (Bournemouth) gave me the opportunity to do that and it was something that I couldn't turn down at the time.'
Having taken up a new challenge in Scotland, Rothwell feels Rangers – who have also brought in right-back Max Aarons on loan from Bournemouth, midfielder Lyall Cameron and defender Emmanuel Fernandez – can move forward under Martin.
'The manager was obviously a big factor in me coming here,' Rothwell said.
'He sees the game how I would see it if I was a manager, that was the main pull, but it is more about how he is as a guy.
'You want to come and work for him. The manager treats everyone the same – there is no-one better than anyone else.
'He is really good at bringing clubs back together and creating a fantastic bond.'
Rothwell added: 'If you want to win things, it starts off the pitch, so if he can get everyone buying into the same thing here, I think he can create a really successful time at Rangers.
'You can see from the outside how huge this club is – it is built to win trophies.
'Hopefully, if the manager implements how he wants to do things, it can be really successful and we can go on and win things.'
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