WINGER SIGNS IBROX DEAL
Gers winger Candeias pens deal to 2020 and targets silverware
DANIEL CANDEIAS has his sights set on silverware after signing a new two-and-a-half-year deal with Rangers yesterday.
The Portuguese became the fifth member of the Ibrox squad to sign a long-term contract in recent weeks as the hardworking winger follows James Tavernier, Ross McCrorie, Josh Windass and Alfredo Morelos in committing his immediate future to the club.
Candeias has been impressive since joining the club in the summer under previous manager Pedro Caixinha, and he has continued in a similar vein since Graeme Murty took over the Ibrox reins. Now
the 30-year-old, who got his sixth goal of the season against Celtic on Sunday, has been rewarded with an extension to his contract that will see him remain with the Light Blues until 2020.
“The people want us to win trophies, and so do the players,” Candeias told Rangers TV. “This is the greatest club in the world when it comes to trophies, and now I want to win trophies with Rangers too.
“I am very happy to sign this new contract with this club. It is a great club and I like the responsibilities that come with that. I love wearing the shirt and I will give 200 per cent.”
The creative output of Candeias, who tops the Premiership assists charts, has been married to a willingness to work back and help full-back James Tavernier, with the pair striking up an instant understanding down the right for Rangers.
He had a nomadic career before joining the club last July from Portuguese giants Benfica, where he was loaned out on no fewer than four occasions, and he says that a main driver behind showing his best form for Rangers has been the fact that he is so settled in Glasgow.
And he has vowed to continue to put in the sort of shifts that have so endeared him to the Ibrox faithful now that he has put pen to paper on his new deal.
“I am very happy here as it is like a family,” he said. “Everyone has welcomed me so well and I and my family are so happy with the city and the people. When everything is like this, it makes it so much easier.
“I am very happy with my performances, but that is down to the team playing well,” he continued. “I work hard every day.
“In these seven or eight months I have worked hard for the team, and now I want more of the same. I have more responsibility now and want to continue the way I have.”