Cyriel Dessers has opened up on the “easy” decision to join Rangers.
It emerged last night that the striker was on the radar of Celtic around three years ago while Neil Lennon was in charge of the club.
But the 28-year-old insists he was unaware of any interest from the Parkhead club, as he touched upon Rangers’ long-standing pursuit of his signature.
Asked about Celtic being keen, he replied: “No, I didn’t know about that. I spoke a couple of times with Rangers in the past years and the contact has also been close.
“So, I’m happy to finally be here now and it was possible to make the deal and arrive here. If you score goals, you will probably be on some clubs’ radars.
“I don’t know how much I can say (on Rangers’ interest) as it’s pretty private. The first contact was after I became the top scorer in the Eredivise during Covid so it was a difficult time for a lot of clubs to make deals. After that, the contact was always there and although it wasn’t always in terms of an offer, there were some casual conversations.”
On his choice to move to Ibrox on a four-year deal, Dessers added: “It’s not easy to just name the clubs who were interested, I don’t think they’d be happy! I had some options to stay in Italy, or Belgium and the Netherlands.
“Rangers are massive and I like what is happening here, the group of players here already and the manager who has a really good idea of what he wants on and off the pitch is fundamental for me. That’s why I made the choice.
“I looked at the training ground, the stadium, how the club wants to work which is very professional and that’s something I was looking for, then it was a pretty easy choice actually.
“The stadium, fans and city are amazing but of course, I spoke with the manager. There’s a new wind in the club now and I want to be a part of that.
“I’m at a good age. 28 is the perfect age when you are physically still at the top level and you’ve gained experience from the past years. It’s the perfect time to play for trophies and hopefully, win some trophies.
“The mentality of Rangers is clearly present in this team and I want to be a part of that. I think I can bring some things, not only football-wise but also mentality-wise, into the dressing room.”
