New Rangers No1 Ivor Pandur has revealed how he was sold on his Ibrox switch by former Light Blues stars John Lundstram and Antonio Colak.
The £6million shot-stopper has moved north from Hull to replace Jack Butland, who went in the opposite direction as part of a separate £3m deal.
The 26-year-old arrives in Glasgow fresh from helping the Tigers win promotion to the Premier League and being a member of Croatia’s World Cup squad.
And he has revealed how warm words spoken by two of his former team-mates with club and country helped convince him to join Gers.
Pandur on Ibrox energy
Pandur said: “You can feel the energy at Ibrox. It’s a nostalgic stadium and full of history.
“I’m really happy and excited when I think of the moment of going out in front of 51,000 fans, and however many will be outside too.
“Everyone was talking about it. Even the guys who were here in the past, John Lundstram and Kieran Dowell who I played with last year, all said you’ll never experience something like it.
“They said it’s one of the biggest clubs that you can sign for, and that’s why I didn’t have much thinking to do.
“When I knew it was really serious and it could be done, it was the first thing I did. I wanted to hear their thoughts and experiences about everything.
“But everything they said just made me more sure it’s what I want to do.
“I even spoke to Antonio Colak, who was here. I played alongside him for Croatia, and like everyone, he was full of praise for the club and the people, which I can already feel.
“Everyone inside the club who I have met has been such a lovely person, and you can feel this energy of goodness.”
Career path to Ibrox
Pandur - who is set to make his debut for his new side in tonight’s friendly clash with St Etienne - kicked off his career at Rijeka in his homeland before racking up stints with Italian outfit Hellas Verona and Dutch side Fortuna Sittard.
And he revealed it was while playing in the Netherlands that a move to Ibrox was first suggested to him.
It’s taken four years for his switch to play out but he feels this is the moment his career has been building to as he sets his sights on trophies with Rangers.
“It’s a brilliant feeling to be here,” he told Rangers TV. “It fills me with pride, and it’s an honour to be part of such a massive club.
“Whoever I spoke to about the club only told me good things, and no-one said a single thing wrong.
“I have worked all my career for this moment to be here, and I’m really excited and ready to go.
“I started talking [to Rangers] maybe four years ago when I was still in Holland, but it wasn’t the right moment.
“Eventually I left and went to England, played there, and now this summer we made a deal in a couple of days because there was interest from both sides.
“Even just walking around the streets and seeing everything, you can see how much people live for this club and how much it means to them. It brings the best out of everyone. I’m truly happy with everything - the training, the team, the staff.
“I want to challenge for titles. All of my career I have wanted to be part of a club that fights for trophies, and I feel like this is the perfect time to do it.
“I have a lot of experience behind me, and I’m ready to give everything for this club.”
Set-piece coach appointed
Meanwhile, new Ibrox boss Derek McInnes has appointed former QPR and Nottingham Forest coach Simon Ireland to oversee his team’s set-piece work.
He will replace dead-ball guru Scott Fry, who quit the club to join Birmingham earlier this summer.
