New Rangers No1 Ivor Pandur reckons the club are getting a better goalkeeper now than the one they tried to sign three years ago. The £6million former Hull City stopper has moved to Glasgow as part of a swap deal that saw Jack Butland head in the opposite direction.
Missed Opportunity in 2023
Back in 2023, former Rangers boss Michael Beale held talks with Pandur, then starring for Fortuna Sittard in Holland, while also weighing up a move for Butland. Beale ultimately opted to sign Butland from Crystal Palace, but Pandur believes that may have been for the best after developing significantly during his two-and-a-half-year spell at Hull.
Looking back, the 26-year-old said: "Yeah, so there was interest. Obviously, in football, there is always some interest but rarely something happens. I remember my agent was talking with the director back then who is not here anymore in this club, and it came close, but our paths didn't align at the time, I believe. It's probably better because now I'm much better than I was three years ago. I developed quite a lot and there's still more to come and I think I'm in a perfect place to improve."
Confidence from Manager Derek McInnes
Ibrox boss Derek McInnes has installed Pandur as his first-choice keeper, a show of faith that means a lot to the new recruit given his treatment at Hull. Pandur's heroics helped Hull win promotion to the Premier League through the play-offs last season, but he was warned by Tigers boss Sergej Jakirovic that he would have to fight for his place if he stayed for their return to England's top flight.
Asked how tough it was to give up on playing in the Premier League, Pandur said: "It's strange because we were talking after the season and obviously the gaffer is also Croatian like me. He told me he wants me to stay and all of that, to play. The club had a different idea of bringing another keeper who already had Premier League experience, which I don't have yet. So they made it clear there'll be somebody coming in as a No1, let's say. Do I agree with it or not? It doesn't matter. It's football. It's business. I'm just proud and happy I get to share these two and a half years in that club with all these great people as well. It's something I remember for the rest of my life. So I'm truly grateful, more than I'm happy for the decision. But now it means everything to me [to be told I am No1 here]. The manager is brilliant. The way he treats players, everyone around with respect, he is a brilliant human as long as for these couple of days that I'm here and I get to meet him. I'm in a good place, really, to develop, even further."
Swift Deal After Season End
Talks with Rangers had been ongoing throughout the season, but the deal accelerated after the campaign finished. Pandur added: "But as soon as the season finished, I think the interest became really strong, but I didn't have much to think about because Hull made it really clear what they wanted to do for next season. So I made up my mind. And yeah, we made this deal in a couple of days, really."
