Reuniting with Martin was 'main pull' for Rothwell

Joe Rothwell says the chance to reunite with Russell Martin was a key factor in his decision to join Rangers.

The 30-year-old midfielder has signed a three-year deal at Ibrox after leaving Bournemouth.

He will link up once again with new Rangers manager Martin, who he played under as part of the Southampton side who achieved promotion to the English Premier League in 2024.

Rothwell achieved similar success while on loan at Leeds United last season, and he explained having turned down Rangers once to join Bournemouth in 2022, he was not going to pass up the opportunity again.

"Just before I signed for Bournemouth [from Blackburn Rovers], it was kind of a toss-up between the two," Rothwell said.

"Obviously, I decided to go to Bournemouth at the time, but I'm thankful that the offer came back around this time and I jumped straight at it."

Rothwell was aware of interest from Ibrox earlier in the summer, but says Martin's man-management skills and tactical nous were what persuaded him to head north of the border.

"Yeah, obviously there was a little bit of interest there before the manager got the job, but as soon as I found out that he was getting it, he gave me a phone call and I was like, yeah, I'll be straight there," Rothwell added.

"He just sees the game how I would like to if I was a manager, how I would like to play the game.

"He's a possession-based manager. From the outside, it looks like he's just playing pointless passes. But when you're actually inside it, you understand every pass that you make is key.

"So, yeah, that was the main pull. But I've said it before, it's more what he is as a guy, that you want to come work for him, not just the stuff he does on the pitch."

Rothwell spent his entire youth career at Manchester United, but left in 2016 after failing to break into the first team.

And he says that setback pushed him to return to a "huge club".

"Leaving was never easy," he said of his Old Trafford exit. "I was there for 15-odd years, so having to leave was tough, but I knew it was the right thing to do for my own career.

"A big drive for me was to get back there and obviously try and play for a massive club again. And I feel like this is a club that I can. They are a huge club."

Rothwell also says the vision outlined by Martin and the club's new American owners convinced him that Ibrox was the right option at this stage of his career.

"They spoke to me about where they see the club going and what they want to achieve and I wanted to be a part of that," Rothwell said.

"There was interest from elsewhere, but as soon as I knew that Rangers had come calling, it was wanting to go back to that big-club mentality.

"They fit the bill for me and obviously the manager coming in and getting the job, it was a no-brainer for me."